Stalker and the Devil
by WoHoYo
Summary: Rukia is a student at Karakura High, along with Ichigo. Their story begins with Rukia, who deeply admires Ichigo. She confesses her feelings out on the school rooftop where no one can hear her... or so she thinks. When Ichigo threatens to reveal to everyone that she's his stalker, Rukia suddenly finds herself victim to this devil, who she once looked up to! Read for more info!
1. Stalker Meets Devil

**A/N: **This is a Bleach fanfiction. Characters involve Kaien Shiba, Miyako Shiba, Ichigo Kurosaki and our main character, Rukia Kuchiki. Usually there'd be love triangles, but I decided to make this a love 'quadruple.' Pairings will be KaienxMiyako and IchigoxRukia, but it will take hardship for these couples to come together, so bear with me :)

[This story will focus **mainly** on IchiRuki]

Hope you enjoy this short story.

* * *

"**Stalker Meets Devil"**

Rukia's heart pounded against her rib cage; she forced herself to run faster up the staircase. "Woah," she gasped, nearly tripping over a step, but she quickly regained her balance. It was almost time... Seeing the door that lead to the rooftop, Rukia didn't dare slow down. Pushing it open, she felt the afternoon's cold wind kissing her cheeks.

Finally taking a moment to breathe, Rukia walked towards the rails, looking down. Being up here on the four story building always made her tremble with fear. It was as if she was flying in the sky, just looking down at earth. All the remaining students leaving for home looked so indifferent from this perspective. They were tiny.

"There he is," Rukia fell to the ground, laying low and hidden from his sight. "Ichigo," she whispered his name, watching him leave the school campus. He was always the last person to leave, after of course. His golden eyes and strange orange hair had seemed to ward off most people... except her. He was handsome, but she assumed his scary aura made him unapproachable to others. To Rukia, he was like an unreachable flower at the top of a cliff.

Ichigo's always alone and according to rumors, he's a no-good delinquent. Rukia didn't let other people's opinions influence her thinking though. She sighed, admiring him from afar. Every day, she'd come to the school rooftop after school was over to watch him leave. "I wonder what kind of music he listens to..." Rukia whispered. She never sees Ichigo without his earphones; he's always listening to music on his iPod.

Rukia wanted to know what kind of person Ichigo is. When he reached a distance where she knew he wouldn't be able to see her, she stood up, inhaling a deep breath of air. With all her energy, Rukia shouted to him, "You're really cool, Ichigo!" Her words echoed in the still air, and like every other time, he never turned around. He kept walking forward with his hands in his pockets. His music was always too loud for her words to reach him, but she was okay with it. She preferred it this way, actually.

Her name is Rukia Kuchiki, currently a sophomore at Karakura high school, and she deeply admires Ichigo Kurosaki.

* * *

**Next Week**

"Ow," Rukia shook her left hand in pain, feeling the blisters forming on her fingertips. Playing the acoustic guitar wasn't easy and it really was painful. With her other hand, she grazed the steel strings, hearing the wonderful sounds it made.

"Rukia, you should take a break. Your classmates already left," Rukia's music teacher, Ms. Miyako, told her. She was a beautiful woman with dark long hair that she kept tied up with strands at the side of her pretty face. Her face was always illuminating with cheerful brightness and her smile radiated with warmth. Any girl, especially Rukia, standing next to her would look dull. Out of everyone in her class, Rukia was the plainest.

Rukia's black hair stuck out in strange places; it never knew where it wanted to go. Her violet eyes, matched with her hair, were ordinary. She held no special features, skills, or anything. Rukia always thought that if one day she were to disappear, no one would remember her. She never made an impact on anyone, so who would? It didn't bother her though. Rukia's classmates didn't care for her, not even her teachers. She didn't care though. She liked being ignored.

There were few teachers who cared though, and one of them was Ms. Miyako. She treated each student with care and treated each other equally. There was no one who Rukia knew of that hated her. Ms. Miyako was bubbly and had a mother-like aura. Besides Ichigo, Rukia admired her too. "Your playing is coming along beautifully, but why did you pick a difficult song to start with? Canon in D is a lovely tune, but I'd recommend you start off with an easier song."

Rukia had been playing the same song for the past two weeks now; it was a fingerstyle picking song. "It's because I heard you playing this song on the piano during lunch last year. I fell in love with the song and the way you played it, so I hoped I could play it with the same grace as you, except on the guitar."

Ms. Miyako was a little surprised by Rukia's story, but she never failed to smile. "I understand. Canon in D is quite special to me too," she blushed. Rukia bet that while she played the song on the piano, she was thinking of someone special. When Rukia practiced the song on her guitar... she'd think of Ichigo. Rukia blushed a little too. "One day when I get married, I want this song to be played at my wedding," Ms. Miyako said, giggling to herself.

Ms. Miyako wasn't shy about her thoughts; she always said that it was better to express one's self than to hold something in. Ever since she told Rukia's class that, which was about the beginning of the semester, Rukia had been going out to the rooftop to scream out her feelings to Ichigo to express herself. She was right; it was a lot better than keeping it in. Rukia admired him so dearly, it couldn't go unheard. "Is it Mr. Kaien who you're thinking about?" Rukia asked her without hesitance.

Mr. Kaien was the math teacher; he was really handsome. He had spiky black hair and a manly look to him... Some students say he looks like a "sexy doctor." Rukia didn't know why though. Most students also say that he and Ms. Miyako are secretly dating, as they make a good couple due to their good looks. Also, Mr. Kaien was a kind man who respected everyone. "Eh?" Ms. Miyako became flustered. "N-Not at all. Besides," she leaned in and whispered, "word has it that he has a girlfriend already."

It was obvious that Ms. Miyako had a crush on Mr. Kaien. The way she frowned when she mentioned his girlfriend and the way she looked at him were sure signs that she liked him. "She must be really pretty then," Rukia murmured, pitying her.

"I bet," Ms. Miyako sulked. "Anyway, shouldn't be going now? Don't you usually leave during this time- oh, goodbye then!" She waved as Rukia dashed towards the door, completely losing track of time.

* * *

**School Rooftop - Fourth Floor**

"Did I make it!?" Rukia shouted, searching for Ichigo. Her eyes darted in every direction below, seeing no students and no signs of Ichigo. The orange-haired man who Rukia always shouted her feelings of admiration for every day wasn't here. "I missed him..." she panted. She was too late.

Seeing Ichigo was what made Rukia's days worthwhile. Unable to see him... this day would seem so long. The sun began to set as it was already five in the afternoon. Yes, he's already left. Rukia got so carried away in her conversation with Ms. Miyako, she wouldn't get to express her feelings to Ichigo until next week since today is Friday.

"I have to come earlier next time," Rukia sighed, walking back to the music room to get her belongings. She always had a tendency to forget her items in there as she always rushed up to the rooftop. The hallways were empty. Almost everyone has gone home. Rukia wondered how Ichigo's home was like... Was it warm? She was sure it was.

"What are you thinking about?" Rukia looked up to see Mr. Kaien carrying some textbooks and materials. She greeted him, hoping he didn't see her smiling to herself like a lunatic. Rukia immediately told him that she was just daydreaming about nonsense. He gave a charming laugh, "Help me with these, would you?"

Rukia couldn't say no to him. Sometimes Mr. Kaien offered to tutor her after class when he saw her grades dropping, and it was because of that that she managed to even have a B+ in his class. Taking half his books, she followed him into his classroom. The dim lights that made it past the curtains made the room seem lonely-like. The classroom filled with shadows and the sunset's light; it gave her a nostalgic feeling of her childhood days.

"You can set those there," Mr. Kaien pointed to his desk while he made room for the items. Rukia set them down, earning his thanks. "You're quite strong despite your small frame," he gave another rough laugh. Mr. Kaien was in his early-20's, same as Ms. Miyako, yet he was cool like a man with a 5 o'clock shadow. "So, how's school coming along? I know, forgive me for asking the predictable question that every teacher asks."

"It's not too difficult."

"Are you able to play Canon in D now?" Rukia shook her head. He asks her the same question every time she saw him. She wanted to tell him that she's not as gifted as other students who learn in one go, but she decided not to. "Remember, you promised that I'd be the first person to hear you play it."

Actually, Rukia never promised him. Mr. Kaien practically forced her to say she'd play it for him first when he kept pestering her about it. "I know," Rukia said. "It's getting late; I need to get my things."

Mr. Kaien looked at his watch, realizing the time. "Sorry for troubling you," he hurried Rukia out the door. "Study hard," he reminded before bidding farewell.

After retrieving her things in the music room, Rukia made her way home. Today, she decided to take a detour. Rukia needed something to get her mind off missing Ichigo today. A walk beside the river was always soothing. All she could hear was the rushing water and the ducks swimming. The shimmering lights that reflected off the water also helped distract her.

Beside the path Rukia was walking on was an old basketball court. Teenagers usually occupied themselves there, but since winter was approaching, everyone spent their days indoor with their families instead. Rukia only had one family member, so she didn't have anyone to talk to really. Her family consisted of an older brother who adopted her into the Kuchiki family. His name was Byakuya, but he was always busy at work so Rukia took care of herself most of the time. She was an independent girl.

Hm...? Rukia stood corrected. Someone was at the basketball court. There was a man lying down in the middle of the court. She squinted her eyes, seeing that he had the same school uniform as her. It was then that Rukia's heart began to beat erratically; it was Ichigo. She had never been this close to him before!

Rukia stared like a deer in headlights, unsure how to react. Should she run? Should she approach him? Should she... act normal. Right, why should she make a reaction? He doesn't even see her. She could just stare at him. Unfortunately, Rukia couldn't shout and tell him how much she admired him from this short distance between them. He'd definitely hear her dumb confessions.

Rukia realized a moment later that Ichigo was... sleeping. His eyes were closed and he had his arms crossed behind his head. Before she knew it, she was standing over him. She had never seen him so vulnerable before! Rukia clenched her teeth, thinking that if her heart beat any harder, he'd hear it and wake up. She gulped, kneeling down beside him.

Ichigo's earphones were still on. _I wonder what kind of music he listens to..._

Rukia understood that an opportunity like this would never come again. She had to know... just this one time. Reaching out with a shaky hand, she grabbed a hold of one earpiece. Steadily, like she was deactivating a bomb, Rukia tugged at it. She died a little when the piece fell; he stirred a little before remaining still again. Success!

Rukia put the earphone to her ear- it's too short! The other piece was still in his ear and the earphones were too short. She leaned closer, so close that she could just die. His face was unnaturally beautiful. He did look different from your typical student, but that's what Rukia admired about him. He didn't care about what people thought about him. She wanted to be as daring as him. She didn't want to be this plain girl... she wanted to be different like him.

Snapping out of thought, Rukia quickly put the earphone in her ear before he woke up. Finally, she could understand him, even if it's just a little-... "This song..."

The familiar piece played. It was a beautiful piano cover of the song Canon in D. The artist playing the song hit every note perfectly. As Rukia listened further, it wasn't hard to tell that it was Ms. Miyako's version of the song. Ichigo admired Ms. Miyako's playing too? So this is the kind of person he is... Rukia smiled, placing the earphone back into his ear- "You're done snooping around?"

Rukia's eyes widened. D-Did Ichigo speak? His eyes finally opened, revealing a set of ember eyes. His gaze lazily fell on her and she knew that she was in huge trouble. Unable to find her voice, she did all she could do. Rukia tried to run for it, only to feel him tug at her collar.

"You go to my school?" Ichigo asked, probably noting Rukia's uniform. She nodded, hoping he'd have mercy on her if he knew they were classmates. "Hn," he scoffed, "your parents never taught you manners? Who goes around listening to other people's music?"

Rukia yelped. Ichigo's voice was quite the opposite of what she imagined. She thought he'd have a soft voice, like Mr. Kaien's, but it was quite rough and raspy - it sounded dangerous. "I-I'm sorry."

Ichigo observed Rukia, watching her every move like a hawk. "What should I do as punishment? Should I hand you over to my gang and let them have their way with you?" Rukia flinched. "Or should I feed you to my dogs?" Both choices seemed very displeasing. Did she have the wrong impression of Ichigo all this time? The admirable man she thought everyone was misunderstanding was really a delinquent all this time?

Ichigo's feral eyes didn't make Rukia's situation any better. After pondering for a brief moment, he finally snickered. Just a simple laugh. Her lungs collapsed. He walked past her, giving a nod before departing.

"Hope you learned your lesson not to impose on other people," Ichigo bellowed.

Rkia watched his broad back walk the opposite direction. Ichigo's orange hair wavered in the presence of autumn's chilly breeze. Only when she realized that he was teasing her did she feel her legs become like jelly and her face flush with embarrassment.

* * *

**Next Day**

Today, Rukia didn't have the courage to go on the rooftop and shout out her feelings to Ichigo Kurosaki. After yesterday, she wasn't sure if she still admired the boy. She was starting to have doubts in him, or rather, she was having doubts in her assumptions of what he was like. Rukia realized yesterday that perhaps everything about him that she thought was wonderful, was just a fantasy she created to push herself. It was just a figment of her imagination... That thought saddened her. It was like a parent telling his/her child that Santa didn't exist.

Rukia carried her guitar in its suitcase, making her way downstairs to the second floor where Ms. Miyako's music class was located. Before making a right turn to where her classroom would be, Rukia heard a faint tune. It was Chopin's 'Etude Opus 25.' Rukia could tell that it was Ms. Miyako playing it because it sounded so wonderful. She didn't want to interrupt, so she stayed where she was, out of sight and where she could hear the song.

Rukia found herself humming to the song. She leaned her head against the wall, wishing that her playing would never come to an end. If only Rukia could play Pachelbel's masterpiece on her guitar... She could only imagine until the day came. "She plays wonderful, doesn't she?"

Rukia yelped, jumping as she heard a deep voice whisper near her ear. "M-Mr. Kaien," she stuttered, pale and a little dazed. "Did you need help carrying things again?" Rukia asked, seeing his arm full again, this time with boxes.

Mr. Kaien shook his head. He held his head back, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the faint music in the air. "I just came for a free music show. It's really nice that I got a room close to the music room." A smile traced on his lips.

"Which song do you like to hear the most?" Rukia asked.

Mr. Kaien shrugged. He wasn't a picky person; he enjoyed most things. "Classical music is always nice, I guess. But what I enjoy the most? Probably hearing you practice strumming on your guitar," he spoke like a charming prince. "As the saying goes, it's not the destination, but the journey. Well, I must go now," he shifted uncomfortably, nearly having the boxes topple him in the process. "See you in math class tomorrow."

Rukia dreaded. As Mr. Kaien left, she returned to listening to Ms. Miyako play. She found solace in her music. It always gave her a nostalgic feeling. As the music was coming to an end, Rukia lifted up her guitar case before passing period began. She was usually the first person to arrive to music class-...

Turning around the corner, Rukia immediately stepped back behind the wall, her eyes widening at the sight of Ichigo Kurosaki. He stood beside the entrance of the music room, just leaning against the wall and listening to Ms. Miyako play. It didn't seem like she noticed his presence. Rukia's hands trembled; she didn't plan on seeing him today. Was this fate?

Huh... Ichigo's eyes look different compared to all the other times. They were more content. They weren't scowling, they were... happy.

Ah, so that's what it is. Now it makes sense. Rukia always wondered what kind of music Ichigo Kurosaki listened to. Now she knew - he listens to Ms. Miyako's playing, because he loves her...

* * *

**Next Day**

Rukia held tightly onto her sweater, feeling the cold breeze of the winter air. She sat behind the rails, looking down at the ground from the roof. "There he is..." she sighed, seeing Ichigo leave for home. Her lips were sewed shut. Rukia didn't know why, but for some reason, she just didn't feel like shouting today. Ever since yesterday, she'd been 'sulking' like this.

Ichigo was like Rukia, always watching the person he admires from afar.

"Hm, what is he doing?" Rukia lifted her head up, seeing Ichigo tug at his ears. He pulled out his earphones, unplugging them from his music device. "Why's he throwing them away?" she asked herself, seeing him toss them in a nearby trash. Without thinking, Rukia unconsciously grabbed her things and ran downstairs, forgetting about music class.

When Rukia reached the place where Ichigo was standing only moments ago, she could see he was already gone. She darted her eyes towards the trashcan, then looked around, hoping no one would see her. Quickly, Rukia delved into it, pulling out his old earphones.

"You gonna collect that and add it to your shrine where you worship me?"

Rukia jumped, whizzing around to see the familiar frown. "I-Ichigo," she stuttered, only finding herself in a bad situation. "Your earphones," she held them in her fist, holding them out towards him. "Why did you throw them away?" He was always using them to listen to his music... to Ms. Miyako's music.

Rukia could feel his eyes burning into her. "They're broken," Ichigo said.

"Eh?" Rukia asked, dumbfounded. "_Broken_?"

"Only one side works. It's been like that for a while now."

Rukia felt stupid. Trying to hide her embarrassment and humiliation, she broke out into a nervous laugh, throwing them back into the trash. Maybe she could just slip away and pretend this never happened - "Wait... they've been broken for a while now?"

A sudden sly smile curved onto Ichigo's lips. He leaned forward, breathing onto Rukia's face while giving a nod. She froze, completely immobile. "For exactly three months now." Rukia's face began to break out in a sweat. "So I'm cool, eh?" he smirked obnoxiously.

'_Oh my god... That means he heard me all those times when I was shouting from the rooftops,'_ Rukia thought. "C-Can we just forget about that?" she pleaded, or more like begged.

The Ichigo she thought she knew was starting to disappear. The cool Ichigo she thought she knew was quickly being eaten by this crude and cocky person. Rukia began to see him in a different light. She was wrong all this time about him. He shook his head, "Which part of me do you like most?" he asked, curious. Rukia could tell he was having fun teasing her.

This man is the devil! "I..." Rukia's throat became parched.

"Well?"

"I... I hate you!" Rukia bellowed, swinging her fist towards him while her eyes shut tight in fear. Rukia felt a sudden pain on her knuckle, and it was then that she opened one eye, seeing a surprised Ichigo. His eyes widened and Rukia could see the right side of his face beginning to swell. She gasped, frantically waving her arms in front of her.

"You..." Ichigo hissed, "are _so _dead!"

"But you provoked me!"

"You know what," Ichigo calmed, "I have a better idea. Instead of making soup with your head, I'm going to use you as my slave."

"I will not be your dog," Rukia glared. The more she spoke with him, the more she just... detested him!

"Oh yeah?" He raised a brow, "You will if I threaten to tell the whole school about you being my stalker."

… A stalker? Rukia laughed slowly, wagging her finger at him, "Oh, you're cute. Come on, be serious." Ichigo didn't budge, he only laughed with her, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "You're serious, aren't you?" He nodded while maintaining that proud smile of his. Rukia swallowed her pride, "What would you like... master?" she asked through gritted teeth and a fake smile.

* * *

**1 Week Later**

Long ago, there was a time when Rukia used to think, '_Hey... I want to be his friend._' She glanced over at Ichigo, who lay asleep on the roof with his hands crossed behind his head. Like this, he really looks innocent. No one would assume...

"Oi! Put some effort into those arms would ya? And could you try looking a little more excited? I hate opening my eyes to see you glaring down at me," Ichigo sneered.

Yes, no one would assume that he's a complete jerk! Rukia held the umbrella over him higher and forced a smile. "Who needs an umbrella over them during a winter anyway?" she asked beneath her breath. There was barely any sunlight out anyway, and it was freezing out here! "Lunch break is almost over; can I leave now?"

Ichigo didn't look at Rukia when he shooed her away with his hand like she was a pest.

Rukia wondered... how long would it take for the school to discover a dead body up here? "How long must I continue serving you?" she asked, glowering.

"Until I graduate."

"B-But that's a long way from here!"

Ichigo shrugged, "Sucks for you then."

"You... You're unbelievable."

"Ah, don't wait for me after school."

"Why?" Rukia asked. Was Ichigo punished for something? She wouldn't be surprised. Or wait... Her eyes widened as she grinned from ear to ear. "Got a … date?" Rukia kicked him lightly on the side of his stomach.

Ichigo sat up with a deadly scowl, "You dare kick me, servant?" He stood up, towering over her.

Rukia mentally laughed to herself. Why didn't she think of this sooner? "Call me servant one more time. Though, I don't think you'll have the guts to once I tell this whole school about your crush with the music teacher." Bingo. Ichigo's eyes lit with surprise and now she knew she had him in her palm. Oh, the things she was going to make him do...

"Go ahead."

"Eh?" Rukia gawked.

"If one word slips out from you, then you best expect me to not keep silent about you being my stalker."

Crud, Ichigo's right. "Fine," Rukia crossed her arms, trying to not lose face. "Let's just forget about everything then. See ya, hope to never encounter you again-" she turned around, only to feel him grab her arm.

"Not so fast. Let's make a deal." A deal? No way was Rukia making a contract with the devil himself. "In return for your freedom, you have to help me capture Ms. Miyako's heart."

Rukia blinked dumbly at Ichigo. "No way! A student-teacher romance is illegal. And why should I help you when you know this love will never work out? Ms. Miyako is a kind person who will never fall for your _devil _lies," she said as a matter-of-factly. Besides, who could love this demon? He's rude and prideful. Rukia doubted he had any kindness in him. Ichigo pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number. "What are you doing?"

"Spreading the word that you're a stalker. Ey, Keigo- _oof_!" Ichigo's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as Rukia sent a kick at his stomach.

"Fine, it's a deal!" Rukia screamed at him.

Ichigo chuckled, "That's what I thought."

* * *

**Next Day**

Rukia played her guitar diligently as Ms. Miyako watched, humming and smiling. Rukia grimaced. Mr. Miyako was so happy, not even knowing that that devil Ichigo had his eyes set on her! And instead of trying to save her, Rukia offered to help him whisk her away into hell! She was the worst.

"What's the matter Rukia? You've been frowning the entire time. You also haven't been going up to the rooftop like you usually do... I may not be a therapist, but if you need someone to confide in, I'm here." Ms. Miyako placed her hand on Rukia's shoulder. She could only mentally cry to hermself, wondering why she was going to let this poor woman suffer at the hands of Ichigo just so her already poor reputation could be saved.

Rukia cracked a grin, "I'm alright," she told. It was herself she needed to be worried about. "By the way..." Ms. Miyako raised her brows, all ears. Rukia sighed, reluctant to say what she was going to say. "Um... it's almost Christmas."

Ms. Miyako laughed at Rukia's obvious statement. "I know."

"What would you want as a present?" Rukia asked, trying to not be suspicious at the same time.

Ms. Miyako was already on to Rukia. She tilted her head, wondering why Rukia would ask such a random question. "Well, I'm not sure really. Anything is fine; I'm grateful for whatever I receive." Rukia hungher head low. Of course she would give such an answer.

"But if you were to be selfish... hasn't there been any item you've ever wanted?"

Ms. Miyako rethought the question before saying, "Earrings, I suppose." Huh... That's it? All she wanted was some items hanging on her ear? Perhaps Rukia's disinterest in those sort of things was because she just wasn't a fashionista. "And you?" she asked.

"Me?" Rukia asked in a tone that was dreading. "Chappy the rabbit," she said, suddenly sparkling with joy. Going back on subject, Rukia asked, "What kind of flowers do you like?"

Ms. Miyako narrowed her eyes, "You wouldn't be playing Cupid by any chance, would you Rukia Kuchiki?"

Crud. "Heavens, no," Rukia said, almost a little too obviously. The sweat on her forehead was beginning to show.

Ms. Miyako crossed her hands on her laps before simply saying, "The hibiscus. And you?"

Ahh... why did she have to ask Rukia too? "Magnolias." They both exchanged answers like it was some competition. "Well, look at the time," Rukia looked at her invisible wristwatch, "guess I gotta go now!" She packed her things and hurried out the door before Ms. Miyako could say anything else. Rukia let out a breath of relief-

"So, earrings and daisies huh?" Ichigo mumbled, scaring Rukia as he was standing by the door the entire time listening to their conversation. Talk about rude... "Good job, rabbit." Rukia growled as he patted her head as though she was some pet. What a degrading job this was!

Rukia looked back, making sure Ms. Miyako didn't see her and Ichigo together. "When can I stop being your slave?" she asked in a hushed voice. They walked the hallways alone as it was already after school. Even though Rukia was speaking quietly, it was like her words were being echoed in the entire school for everyone to hear.

"Asking survey questions to Ms. Miyako aint gonna seal the deal. When she and I are together, then you can disappear forever, got it eyesore?"

… Words couldn't even explain how much Rukia wanted to kill him. "I'll be counting down the days... Mr. Kaien," Rukia stopped in her tracks, along with Ichigo, when they caught a glimpse of the teacher. He seemed a little surprise seeing Rukia and Ichigo together. Of course, she didn't blame him. Why would someone as pure and innocent like Rukia hang out with this cocky bastard Ichigo? "Good afternoon," Rukia greeted.

Mr. Kaien glanced at Ichigo. _'Hm, seeing them this close, they look almost identical,'_ Rukia thought. SheI kicked Ichigo on the foot, ushering for him to greet the teacher. Ichigo rolled his eyes and gave Mr. Kaien a two-finger salute, "Yo," Ichigo uttered.

Mr. Kaien smiled, turning to Rukia. "Have you been studying for tomorrow's test?" he asked, giving me her look that threatened her to tell the truth.

"Of course... okay, maybe a little," Rukia held out my thumb and finger, placing an inch of distance between them to show the amount she'd been studying.

"You'd better pass." Mr. Kaien placed his large hand on Rukia's head, ruffling her hair. "Otherwise it's back to tutoring." She sighed at the last word. Mr. Kaien was nice, but he was a spartan when it came to teaching. "Go home before it gets dark you two."

After Mr. Kaien left, Rukia heard a snicker coming from Ichigo. "What?" She shot him a glare.

"Teacher's pet," Ichigo sang, placing his hands in his pockets before strolling towards the school exit.

Rukia gasped, thinking of a retaliation. "At... at least I'm not in love with a teacher!" She gulped, seeing Ichigo's footsteps halt.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder and at Rukia. "And you're not?" he asked. She blinked stupidly. Her? In love with a teacher? "Don't play stupid. I know you and that Kaien have a thing for each other- ow!" He bent down, grabbing his shin after Rukia kicked it hard.

"That's disgusting!"

"Huh? Then I guess Mr. Kaien has an unrequited love."

"No!" Rukia shouted, feeling icky now. Mr. Kaien and Rukia shared a teacher-student relationship. He only saw her as a student! That's all there was to it. Not once has he looked at her as a woman. Besides, Rukia knew that he's meant for Ms. Miyako... She gasped, slamming her fist into her palm.

"What?" Ichigo asked, still rubbing his leg in pain.

"Oh, nothing," Rukia smiled cheekily. "Well, I've got to get home now!" She dashed towards home, leaving Ichigo by himself. Now she knew what she must do! She must make Mr. Kaien and Ms. Miyako fall in love, that way Ichigo has no chance with Ms. Miyako! Then everyone would live happily ever after! That is, except Ichigo.

* * *

**One Week Later**

"I told you to study," Mr. Kaien lectured as they sat alone in his classroom after school. Rukia got a D+ on the last math test, but she sort of failed it on purpose so that she could get Mr. Kaien to tutor her. While he's tutoring her, she planned to learn information so that she can get him and Ms. Miyako to be together! And because she was stuck here, Ichigo couldn't boss her around!

Rukia sat behind her desk while Mr. Kaien sat in front of her, explaining the rules of logarithm. While she was working out the problem, she asked, "So Mr. Kaien... don't you think Ms. Miyako has lovely fingers? She's really a graceful woman, huh?"

Mr. Kaien glared at Rukia, "Finish the problem." She sighed, continuing solving the problem. It was rather easy, but Rukia stalled, hoping to get some information out of him. "Rukia..." his voice hissed, "is that your phone buzzing?"

Rukia blinked, hearing her phone vibrating. She smiled innocently, hoping he'd let her off the hook, but he snatched the phone once she took it out of her bag. "Mr. Kaien..!"

Mr. Kaien glanced at who was calling before placing it on his desk. Rukia sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have failed the test. He glowered at her. "So, you've been getting chummy with the 'Devil?'" he asked, raising his brows. She laughed, tugging at her collar. That was Ichigo's name on her phone.

"What can I say? I sold my soul to the devil," Rukia said with a sour face.

Mr. Kaien shook his head, "I think it's time we took a break." He walked towards his desk, pulling out two water bottles from beneath it. He tossed Rukia one. "Is Ms. Miyako fine with me stealing you from her music club?"

"Yes," Rukia said, popping the cap off her water bottle and taking a sip. "Mr. Kaien. You know there are rumors about you."

"Like what?" he asked, leaning back in his rolling chair.

"Like you having a girlfriend."

Mr. Kaien choked on his water; he pounded his fist against his chest, gasping for air. "_Girlfriend_?" he squeaked.

"People also think you and Ms. Miyako make a good couple."

"Rukia," he grabbed his head in pain, groaning from all this information. After a moment of catching his breath, he looked at Rukia seriously. "Ms. Miyako and I are just friends."

"But she likes you."

"Eh?" Mr. Kaien's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "Rukia, it's not good to lie."

Rukia shook her head quickly, telling him that it was the truth. "When Ms. Miyako talks about you, she smiles and glows like she's in love."

Mr. Kaien scratched his head, trying to picture it in his head. He blushed, smacking the thought away. "You're simply misinterpreting things, Rukia. Now," he picked up Rukia's bag and phone, shoving them into her arms and then guided her to the door, pushing her out of his classroom, "go home." He closed the door behind Rukia.

Rukia hung her head low, disappointed at her little progress. In fact, she just made Mr. Kaien angry. Could she have been wrong? Maybe he really doesn't like Ms. Miyako? Rukia climbed to the rooftop, which was usually the meeting place for her and Ichigo. When she reached there, he had already arrived. She sulked once they made eye contact.

"How was tutoring?" Ichigo asked. "You didn't pick up my phone calls."

"What was I supposed to do? Answer my phone in front of the teacher?"

Ichigo gave a simple, 'tch.' He leaned against the rail; Rukia wish he'd fall off the roof. "You're doing a really shitty job as my servant y'know. You might just have the reputation of being a stalker tomorrow-"

"Look," Rukia cocked her hips, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "Why don't you just join the music club? Pretend to be that cute student who achieves at everything you and might just get Ms. Miyako to look at you!" she shouted, angry and frustrated. Once Rukia realized that she had just barked at him, she was expecting to get thrown off the roof until she saw him smiling like a child.

"That's a great idea," Ichigo nodded. Rukia facepalmed. She might have just put herself into a stickier situation. Not only did it mean that Ms. Miyako was going to fall prey to this child from hell, but she'd be stuck in class with this moron! "But I don't know how to play an instrument. You," he eyeballed her, "teach me how to play that," he pointed to Rukia's guitar case.

Rukia gasped, hugging her guitar closely to her chest, protecting it from Ichigo. "If you laid one hand on it, it'd probably explode!"

"Give me it," Ichigo pulled at it.

Before Rukia knew it, she was sitting on the ground with him, playing a few tunes and teaching him the basic chords. Surprisingly, Ichigo was quite focused and patient. She had expected him to go into a rage with how frustrating the guitar seemed, but he didn't. Perhaps it was his love for Ms. Miyako that was keeping him determined on learning?

"Play a song," Ichigo insisted.

Rukia hated the kid ordering her around, but she did as she was told anyway. She played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, plucking at the first string, and then the third with her right hand while her left hand was making the F minor chord. When she finished, she expected Ichigo to applaud, but instead he gave her a dull look.

"The hell do I look like? A four year old?"

"No, but you sure act like one!"

Ichigo snarled at Rukia before meditating to calm down. "Play that song Ms. Miyako always plays."

I assumed he meant Canon in D. "I'm still not able to play it well."

"Do I care?"

Rukia groaned at his persistence. This seemed more like a concert than a lesson. She picked up her guitar, then starting playing. Her pace was slow and sometimes she hit the wrong string. A few times she forgot the next note. Overall, it was terrible. Rukia stopped half way, "Yeah, I still need a lot of practice-"

"Why'd you stop?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't angry at all. Instead, he was more puzzled.

"Because it sounds horrible?" Rukia was too embarrassed to play in front of someone when her performance was awful. Thinking about it, he was the first person to hear her play the song, besides Ms. Miyako of course. She mentally apologized to Mr. Kaien, because he had wanted to be the first to hear her play the song.

"Really?" Ichigo cocked his head to the side. "Maybe it's because I've no idea how a guitar is supposed to sound like. It sounded nice to me though."

Rukia pointed her finger at Ichigo as though he was a monster. "D-Did you just compliment me?"

"I dunno. I guess," Ichigo said mundanely like it was no big deal. Well... it was a big deal! All this time Rukia had only known the evil Ichigo. This kinder side of him was never revealed to her until now. "I can say nice things you know," he glowered. "Now give me." He snatched her instrument, holding it awkwardly.

"Don't break it-"

Ichigo strummed hard, snapping two of the six strings in the process. Rukia stared, dumbfounded. "Oops," he grinned sheepishly, "I broke it."

"You don't say?"

* * *

**Next Day**

"Class... this is Kurosaki Ichigo. He's a new member to our club, so treat him kindly and help teach him as well." Ms. Miyako turned to Ichigo, who was unable to look her in the eye. Rukia sat in the back of the class, rolling her eyes at how obvious it was that he was head over heels for Ms. Miyako. "We're glad to have you as a part of our club. I'm looking forward to your contributions," she smiled.

"I'm glad to be here, Ms. Miyako," Ichigo responded, a little too out of character. Rukia sighed. Wait until she knew the real him.

"Please take a seat beside Ms. Kuchiki."

Rukia moaned in distress, burying her head into her arms. She heard a loud screech on the floor as Ichigo pulled out his chair, taking a seat. As Ms. Miyako was carrying lectures about harmonies, Ichigo was tossing balls of paper at Rukia. "Psst... _Psst_!"

"What?" I asked in a whispered voice.

"This was really a great idea! For once, you used your head!" Ichigo gave a thumbs up, smiling broadly like an idiot.

Oh, Ichigo was really pushing Rukia's buttons. _'I have a sharp pencil in my desk; if I could just grab it and swiftly stab him with it without making any noise, no one would know it was me-'_

"Ms. Kuchiki?" Ms. Miyako called. "Are you taking notes?" she asked.

"Yes," Rukia quickly began writing down the lecture. She glared over at Ichigo, who was also taking notes- wait a minute... He's just drawing! She quickly wrote a note, passing it to him. It read: _'Music club is serious stuff. If you're just going to use it like this, then you should leave because it's disrespectful to Ms. Miyako.'_ That oughta make him feel guilty- Rukia let out a silent gasp, seeing him spit his gum into the note she wrote to him.

'_You know... forget it. I'll just mind my own business.'_

When there was only 30 minutes left of class, Ms. Miyako let them practice their instruments. Everyone got out their flutes, trumpets, violins, etc. Rukia smirked, seeing Ichigo instrument-less. "Ichigo, would you like to learn how to play the piano?" Ms. Miyako asked.

Ichigo glanced over at Rukia, smirking triumphantly. "I've always wanted to learn."

"Okay, then Ms. Inoue can teach you. She also specialized in the piano," Ms. Miyako introduced Orihime Inoue to Ichigo. Orihime was a pretty woman, just as equally beautiful as Ms. Miyako.

"Hello," Orihime greeted jubilantly.

Ichigo gave a bored, "Oh..." He was clearly disappointed that the one teaching him the piano wouldn't be Ms. Miyako.

"Actually," Rukia butted in, "I brought two guitars today. Would you like to learn the guitar?" she asked Ichigo, who was a little surprised, but nodded anyway. They practiced in a corner of the room. "Hold it correctly," she harshly told.

Ichigo slumped. His eyes were focused on Ms. Miyako the entire time.

"Could you try focusing?" Rukia asked, a little annoyed.

"Did you bring this second guitar for me?" Ichigo asked, looking at the classical guitar. Rukia nodded, shrugging.

"It was my old guitar. Since it was just collecting dust in the attic, I figured I could let you have it."

Ichigo stared at the guitar, running his fingers along the strings. "Thanks," he said, a little too sincerely.

Rukia gaped her mouth, a little surprised that someone like Ichigo could even know what it meant to be thankful. "G-Geez, stop being so nice. It's not like you," she stuttered. "Besides, I'm only letting you have it because I'm afraid you'll destroy mine if I let you touch it again." Rukia noticed again that his eyes were following Ms. Miyako. "I'm curious. Why do you like her so much? It can't just be the looks, right?"

Ichigo shot Rukia a glare. "I'm not that pathetic to just go after some woman because of her appearance." His frown disappeared when Ms. Miyako looked over, smiling at him. He was practically melting onto the floor. "Ms. Miyako saved me."

Rukia quirked a brow. "How?"

"Is that any of your business?" Ichigo asked, staring at Rukia like she was an eyesore. "All I'll say is that she's like the shelter one seeks for on a rainy day."

It was then that Rukia saw a glint in Ichigo's eye. He was truly in love. "Wow that's cheesy," she laughed.

"Shaddup, stalker."

* * *

**A/N: **So, how'd you like it?

I already got two stories (which I haven't completed yet) so this will just be a story that I'll update whenever I have time and inspiration. I usually write angsty romance stories, so this is sort of different as it is more comedy/romance with a tint of angst. It might go all out angst later (I just can't stay away from it; it's my addiction)!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Please pleas review ^^


	2. Friends

**A/N: **I am currently writing chapter two of this story while listening to One Winged Angel from FFVII to get me pumped. It's working as I imagine Sephiroth standing behind me with his masamune pointing at me. All hail Sephiroth-sama!

* * *

"**Friends"**

"Look at him, that two face," Rukia muttered, looking disgusted and green to the face as Ichigo was smiling and being the perfect 'angel' in front of Ms. Miyako. Occasionally, she would mock Ichigo by repeating his words but in a squeaky and high pitched tone along with a silly expression.

Ms. Miyako approached Rukia, "You sure are... lively today." Ms. Miyako laughed, noticing Rukia's brows pushing together. She traced Rukia's gaze, "Do you like Kurosaki?" she asked, earning a loud gasp from Rukia. "You were staring at him," she said when Rukia asked why Ms. Miyako would think such a thing.

"Not in the least!" Rukia shouted, red to the cheeks.

"Really?" Ms. Miyako glanced over at Ichigo, who was working hard at the guitar. "You sure? You needn't be shy. It's almost Christmas time. If you'd like, I can play cupid and ask-"

"Please don't. That thing- I mean... Uh... Ichigo and I are _just _friends." Rukia smiled. If she wanted to get away from Ichigo quickly, she would have to say nice things about Ichigo so that Ms. Miyako can hurry and have a 'happy' ending with him, that way Rukia would be free from his wrath. "I'm just looking out for Ichigo. He's usually very hard working _and _I hear he's quite the charming man, so I'm just making sure he's not being swarmed by girls."

Ms. Miyako laughed, unaware of the dark aura emanating from Rukia. "How interesting."

"Yeah. He's also very sensitive and gentle, if you must know."

"I can see that," said Ms. Miyako, who looked over and saw Ichigo strumming hard on the guitar. Rukia facepalmed; so much for Ichigo being the gentle type.

* * *

**Next Week**

"What's the matter? You look gaunt," noted Mr. Kaien. Rukia sulked with her head buried into her folded arms and the desk. "Ah, it's because it's finals week, right?" he asked, laughing at the thought of stressed out students.

"Sadistic teacher..." Rukia murmured. Before winter break would begin, she needed to pass all her finals first. The only thing getting in her way was her math class. What was the point of learning the volume of a triangle? The circumference of a circle? It served no use to her life when she was going to major in music! "You know, since I'm your T.A. (teacher's assistance), can you give me an A on the exam if I do all your paperwork-"

"Get back to work," Mr. Kaien said, not even batting an eye at Rukia. She sighed, continuing grading the her classmates' homework. "How about we make a deal to make this week less boring?" he asked. Rukia quirked a brow. "If you get at least an A- on the math final, I will let you play in my cousin's band at that restaurant down the street."

Rukia lifted her head up with eyes widened in surprise. "R-Really?" Rukia had always wanted to perform in a real band. She wondered what it was like to be on stage in a crowd, to be in the spotlight.

Mr. Kaien nodded. "Their lead guitarist broke his wrist the other day and they're looking for a substitute for the time being. You wouldn't mind, would you-"

"No!" Rukia exclaimed, suddenly turning pink from embarrassment. "I would be delighted," she said calmly.

Mr. Kaien smirked at Rukia's boldness. "It's a deal then. Work hard then, Rukia," he patted her back.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

"Thanks so much Ichigo. I really needed help cleaning up after the freshmen. You know how they are," Ms. Miyako chuckled lightly, putting away the class instruments.

Ichigo swept the floor and helped clean the chalkboard, "It's no problem. If anyone of them bothers you," he smiled, "let me know," he said dangerously. After all, Ichigo _did _have a reputation of being quite the fearsome one in school. He was the type of person who people would watch out for while roaming the school hallways.

"Ah, you'll be that type of guy who has my back when I'm getting into a bar fight?"

"Always," Ichigo promised, smirking.

"Too bad, Mr. Bodyguard; it's getting late. Go home safely, alright?"

Ichigo groaned to himself as it reached 5 p.m. already. He grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and lingered towards the exit. Ichigo glanced back at Ms. Miyako, who was still organizing the room. Even while doing chores she looked graceful. "See ya later teach."

Ichigo left the music class afterwards and made his way to the school gates where he met Rukia. "Took you long enough," she said. Going home together had become a casual thing since their affiliation started. When they went home, they'd talk about the day and discuss how much closer Ichigo and Ms. Miyako would become a pair soon.

"We're not gonna become a pair soon," Ichigo moaned, doubting the plan for once.

"Huh? Why not!?" asked Rukia, grabbing Ichigo by the collar. If he and Ms. Miyako were never going to become a pair, Rukia would be stuck with his lonely self for the rest of her life! "She said you were interesting for goodness sake! _In-ter-es-ting_!" Rukia emphasized, trying to cheer him up a little.

"I think she only sees me as a goody good good student. Maybe it's time I pull out the shades and the slicked back hair; women like bad boys."

Rukia scoffed. "Please. Slick your hair back and she'll see your devil horns." Rukia turned to Ichigo, "You and Ms. Miyako _will _be together by Christmas, I assure you of this."

"How are you so sure?" asked Ichigo.

Rukia smiled widely from ear to ear. She clasped her hands together, eager to tell Ichigo about her good news. "Mr. Kaien promised me that if I passed the math exam with an A-, I'll be able to perform with a real band! Isn't this great?" She nudged Ichigo with her elbow.

Ichigo blinked twice, unamused. "How does this relate to me and Ms. Miyako becoming an item?"

"It's a good sign! The band is supposed to have real romantic songs. I guarantee Ms. Miyako will love you if you bring her to the Rush restaurant where we'll be playing. There will be candles, dim lighting, and food to set the mood... it will be a night to remember."

"But I heard it's hard to even get a reservation there."

"If I get to play in the band, I'm sure I can get you and Ms. Miyako a table."

Ichigo nodded, pleased with the idea. "Y'know stalker... you're not too dumb at all."

"'Course not. I _am _third rank in my class after all," Rukia boasted, giving a grin.

"Ha, that's funny because I'm first," Ichigo said, pointing to himself innocently.

… "Rot in hell-"

"Hanging out with you isn't so bad, Kuchiki."

Rukia raised her brows, a little surprised. Were they considered friends? Because if they were, Ichigo would be her first real friend. "You call walking home together hanging out? Let me show you what hanging out _really _means."

* * *

**Later...**

"Bo-hahahaha!" Rukia laughed with her arms crossed over her chest.

Ichigo spat out the drink he was drinking a moment ago, "What are you doing?" he asked, choking.

"Imitating Don Kanonji. You don't watch his show?" Rukia asked, shocked. They both ate at a cheap place nearby. The place was usually a place for parents to bring kids to, but Rukia liked to eat there sometimes. She'd usually get discounts because some people would mistake her as a child. Unfortunately, today she wouldn't get a discount because she was wearing her school uniform.

"No! And I don't think I want to after seeing that," Ichigo said, embarrassed to be seen with her. "And why are we here? This doesn't seem like such a cool hangout," he said dully.

"Hey, I'm paying for the food aren't I? This place serves better food compared to a five star restaurant."

Well, the hamburgers _were _tasty. Ichigo shrugged, "I guess-"

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday, dear Ichigo~ Happy birthday to you!" sang the employees as they brought out a cake with lit candles. Everyone surrounded their table while clapping along.

Ichigo frowned, looking over at Rukia who winked, urging him to blow out the candles. Following along, he did as told. Everyone cheered and eventually settled down like the whole thing never happened. As Rukia cut the cake, Ichigo said with an obvious tone, "It's not my birthday."

Rukia hushed him, "I know, but if you say it's your birthday here, they give you free cake! And I must say - it's delicious!" She handed Ichigo a slice of the strawberry filled cake.

Ichigo was dumbfounded, but laughed, "You're pretty cool Kuchiki. You make an awesome wingman and you're a fun person to hang around with."

Rukia grinned, "What can I say? I'm awesome."

"I've been meaning to ask you," Ichigo said while eating the cake, and yes, it was delicious. "Why do you admire me?" he asked.

"_Used _to admire you," Rukia corrected, "past tense." Of course, her grudge would never disappear. "I don't know why I did though. I guess it was because you seemed like the type who didn't care about other's opinions. I wanted to be like that."

"So you didn't like me in a romantic way?"

"Don't get cocky," Rukia waved her fork at Ichigo. "You used to be an idol. Now you're just the devil," she said.

"Yeah, well you're still just a stalker to me."

Rukia sighed. That label would stick with her for the rest of her life. She pushed herself back into her seat when Ichigo suddenly pointed his finger at her. "What?" she asked.

"You need to pass the math final right?" Ichigo asked. Rukia nodded. "Let me tutor you."

Rukia didn't react to this proposal until a minute later. A laugh filled the air, "No way," Rukia said, suddenly serious. She saw Ichigo every school day, and every time, she would find herself counting down the hours until she could escape him. Why would she let him tutor her? "You might as well handcuff me to you. Home is where I'm safe and Ichigo-free. Besides, I'll never use your assistance."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, groaning and complaining at how stupid Rukia was. "If you don't pass that test, I won't get a date with Ms. Miyako, and I'll torment you for the rest of your life."

Rukia held out her hand with a cheeky grin, "I'm looking forward to our tutoring sessions, Ichigo-sensei."

* * *

**Next Day**

Ichigo arrived to school early. He usually woke up really early because of the birds that inhabited the tree outside his window, so he really didn't have a choice. Ichigo glanced at his wristwatch, wishing time would go faster because it was so boring waiting out in the cold. "She's here already?" Ichigo asked himself, seeing Ms. Miyako's car in the parking lot. A few of the teachers were already there, but Ichigo was the only student to arrive.

Ichigo lifted his guitar case, walking towards the music class. "I brought you some coffee." Ichigo paused, hearing Ms. Miyako's calming voice. He peeked around the corner, seeing Ms. Miyako chatting with Mr. Kaien. A broad smile was on her face.

"Thank you," Mr. Kaien said, accepting the hot drink. "You really don't have to do this every morning though-"

"I insist." Ms. Miyako lowered her head; she looked solemn. "I remember how much you enjoyed the smell of coffee so early in the morning." Ichigo frowned, wondering what she meant.

Mr. Kaien cleared his throat, sensing the awkward tension in the air. "It isn't wise for us to be casually talking like this. We can't go back to the way we were."

"Why not?" Ms. Miyako asked, saddened.

Mr. Kaien pushed her away, much to her dismay. "Let's not talk about this; someone might hear us." With that, they parted.

Ichigo grimaced after learning that Ms. Miyako and Mr. Kaien used to be romantically involved with each other. Ms. Miyako walked past Ichigo; he hid behind the wall. His hands clenched into a fist when he saw the pained face she had. "Ms. Miyako," Ichigo reached out, grabbing her shoulder.

Ms. Miyako turned around, surprised to see Ichigo. "Good morning Ichigo," she greeted cheerfully.

"You don't have to lie to me with a smile. I heard what happened," Ichigo said. Usually he wasn't the type to be nosy, but this was the person he cared about. To pretend like she was okay was not alright to him.

Ms. Miyako looked away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. Please don't say anything."

Ichigo promised he wouldn't. They walked to the music room together with no words spoken between them. Ichigo sighed, "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked.

"No thank you. I'd just appreciate it if you'd leave me to myself-"

"You once told me that it wasn't good to keep things bottled up, right?" Ichigo asked. Ms. Miyako frowned, but let out a soft laugh. She complimented him with having a good memory. "How could I forget?"

"Right? You were in the nurse's office because you had a swelling cheek and a gash above your brow. Despite the scowl you were making, I could tell you were on the verge of tears-"

"Was not," Ichigo snarled, but crossed his arms and turned away while muttering beneath his breath. It was the first time he met Ms. Miyako. He was a freshman and his orange hair had attracted him a whole lot of unwanted attention. Because of his trait, he was teased a lot which usually led to him starting a fight. It wasn't until he met Ms. Miyako in the nurse's office did he stop caring about what others said.

Mr. Miyako scoffed. "You were such a baby. You wouldn't speak with any of the teachers so I had to come in and talk to you." She looked at him, "You've sure grown up. You used to be a little shorter than I was, and here you are towering over me." She reached up, ruffling Ichigo's orange hair. Ichigo grabbed Ms. Miyako's hand. "What is it?" she asked.

Ichigo had to say it. He needed to say it. "I like you, Ms. Miyako."

* * *

**Later**

"So he's the devil?" asked Mr. Kaien, who was having a conversation with a heated Kuchiki. "And now he's going to tutor you?" Rukia nodded furiously. Mr. Kaien chuckled, "If you're so opposed to Ichigo teaching you, then let me. I have free time after school so it won't be a problem."

Rukia turned pale. Having Mr. Kaien tutor her? She didn't know which was worse, having Ichigo teach her or Mr. Kaien! "Ah, no thanks," Rukia refused kindly. She figured it'd be better to get lessons from Ichigo since they were more comfortable together and she could talk back to him without risking getting sent to the principal's office.

"I want to know though; why is Ichigo the devil? He's a really good student in my class."

Rukia mentally laughed. Ichigo really was the devil in disguise. No one knew his true nature except Rukia. "It's a long story."

"Maybe he's mean to you because he likes you. Boys tend to tease the girl they like; it's their own way of flirting."

So Ichigo blackmailed Rukia because he likes her? "That's so outrageous that it should be a crime to say such a thing," Rukia deadpanned. "Anyway, I gotta go meet the devil."

"There's no music club activity today?" Mr. Kaien asked.

Rukia shook her head. "Ms. Miyako left home early today because she wasn't feeling well, so club is cancelled." Rukia then gave a sly Cheshire smile, "I think you should go see her to make sure she's feeling fine."

Mr. Kaien sighed, "Goodbye~ Rukia."

Disappointed, Rukia left to find Ichigo. "Yo, devil-..." Rukia greeted nobody when she reached the school gates, which was their usual meeting place now. She took a few steps back, then went back into the school and up to the roof. "Ichigo?" she asked, looking around. The place was also Ichigo-less. "Where is that idiot-"

Rukia jumped when her phone began ringing; she picked it up. _"Hey, sorry I forgot to tell you ahead of time, but tutoring session is cancelled today," _answered Ichigo, who sounded a bit frantic.

"Gee, thanks. I wasted ten minutes of my life searching for you."

"_Relax. It's for a good cause."_

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to see Ms. Miyako, are you?" When she was answered with silence, she let out a deep breath. "Don't you think that's a little strange? Besides, how do you even know where she lives? And you call me a stalker..."

"_Four words - none of your business." _And then Ichigo hung up.

Rukia cursed at her phone. Now how was she going to study for the test, which was going to arrive in less than a week? Studying by herself was boring and usually lead to her falling asleep. Five minutes later and Rukia found herself back at Mr. Kaien's room. She knocked twice and the door opened.

"You're back-"

"Is it too late to take up your offer?" Rukia asked, though she was already getting comfortable and seating herself down.

Mr. Kaien realized Rukia wouldn't take no for an answer. Passing the test was her main priority for now. He smiled, "It isn't."

* * *

**One Week Later**

"Are you waiting for something? Or perhaps... someone?" Mr. Kaien asked as he waited for Rukia to leave the classroom. The class had just taken the final exam. "You should be relieved that the testing is over. You studied hard for it; are you doubting yourself?"

Rukia shook her head. She simply tapped the end of her pencil with the eraser on the table. Truth was, she hadn't seen Ichigo for the entire week. He hadn't been coming to music club nor had she seen him around school, hence the reason why their tutoring sessions were cancelled. Despite that, she found herself bothered by it. "Maybe I'm so used to his presence that it feels strange now?" Rukia asked herself. Rukia's eyes turned to the walls, where she saw the decorations of paper snowflakes. "Oh, it's almost Christmas, isn't it? What would you like for a present?" she asked Mr. Kaien.

Mr. Kaien was a little surprised by Rukia's odd behavior. "I don't know. Isn't a present supposed to be a surprise?"

Rukia raised her shoulders, "I don't like giving someone a gift if they might not like it - and don't go spewing that phrase, 'it's the thought that counts,' because we all know it doesn't."

"Man you're a cold woman. Where did your childhood go?" Mr. Kaien laughed. "I'd be glad to just see you have a little Christmas spirit-"

"Rukia?" Ms. Miyako asked, peeking her head into the room. Rukia raised a brow, curious with what Ms. Miyako would want.

"Excuse me," Rukia said to Mr. Kaien as she left the room with Ms. Miyako. "What is it?" she asked.

Ms. Miyako looked troubled. It was as if she was guilty of something that she couldn't bring herself to say it properly. "Concerning Ichigo..."

"Oh him? He hasn't been around lately. I think he's sick."

Ms. Miyako shook her head while she bit her bottom lip. "He's been missing because I hurt him."

Rukia frowned. Hurt Ichigo? It sounded absurd. Firstly, Ms. Miyako was as harmless as a baby cub and secondly, Ichigo was the devil - nothing could hurt him, unfortunately. "Did something happen?" Rukia asked.

Ms. Miyako nodded regretfully. "I'm telling you this because you and Ichigo appear to be good friends..." Rukia forced a smile; they were _not _good friends. "Last week... he told me his feelings."

Rukia groaned, hanging her head low. _'That idiot!' _she thought.

"Because he's just a student, I said no and since then he's been gone. I'd do it myself, but I don't have the courage to. Could you go and try to convince him to come back to school?"

"Of course," Rukia said. Oh, she'd convince him alright. After school ended, Rukia called Ichigo to ask him where he was at. Fortunately, he hadn't stop picking up his phone calls. "Where are you?" Rukia asked.

"_Why do you ask?" _Ichigo asked, annoyed. _"You're my stalker; aren't you supposed to have a tracking device on me?" _

Rukia rolled up her sleeves, "De-vil!" she hissed. Brushing her hair to side, she calmly told, "I heard that you confessed to Ms. Miyako."

Ichigo was silent for a moment before replying. _"Yeah, well what's it to ya?"_

"Come back to school. I know you got your heart broken and all, but running away isn't going to solve anything. In fact, you just look like a coward. So where are you?" she asked one last time.

"_At the park..." _Ichigo finally answered.

* * *

**Park**

Sure enough, Rukia found Ichigo playing on the basketball court by himself. She sighed, watching him beat his frustrations out. He lifted the ball with his hands, shooting at the net. "You missed!" Rukia shouted, pretending to be disappointed.

Ichigo pointed at the bag Rukia was carrying. "You brought food? What, are we having a picnic?"

Rukia could tell Ichigo was upset with the way things turned out between him and Ms. Miyako. Rukia didn't mention her. She tossed Ichigo a soda, "Is this what you do when you're mad? You play horribly at basketball?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, "You think you can do better?"

Rukia smirked, grabbing the orange ball from his hands. Getting into position, she bent her knees a little and took a deep breath before finally shooting. She missed; the ball didn't even come close to making it into the net.

Ichigo laughed at her, "For a second I thought you'd make it."

"I looked cool didn't I? But I was trying to make a point. You see, Ichigo... When you don't make the score, don't get discouraged. You just gotta," Rukia bent down, picking up the ball again, "try again." She took another shot, and this time, the ball made it into the net. "No matter how bad things seem, you just gotta keep trying. Ms. Miyako will return your feelings one day."

Ichigo was surprised at Rukia's words. His eyes softened, "Yeah," he nodded. This whole week, he had been moping around for no reason. "Thanks stalker. You really are..." Ichigo paused, trying to find the right word. They both hadn't been getting along lately, but slowly they were starting to see the great things in each other. "A good friend," he concluded.

"I know."

* * *

**A/N: **And finally chapter 2 is done! Please review and look out for chapter 3!


	3. Loser

**"Loser"**

It was the last day of school before winter break would begin. Christmas would arrive in exactly one week. "I can't do this," Rukia panicked, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Ichigo sighed, pushing her towards Mr. Kaien's classroom. The scores for the math final were out. Should Rukia get an A- or better, she'd be able to perform in a real band at the Rush restaurant. "I don't want to find out what I got," Rukia spun around, walking away from the classroom.

Ichigo grabbed Rukia by the collar as he urged her to find out. "You'll find out sooner or later. By the way, I'm sure you got a good score; you are third rank after all." Ichigo smiled, winking at her.

"If I do pass, are you still going to ask Ms. Miyako to go on a date with you to the Rush restaurant?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo kicked at the ground, shrugging. Recently, he had been rejected by Ms. Miyako. He ran off for a week until Rukia was able to drag him back to school. "We'll see," he decided.

Rukia could tell Ichigo was just trying to be cool, but she could tell that he was still recovering from what had happened. "You're not doing anything for Christmas?" she asked.

Ichigo shook his head. "My old man runs a little clinic so he's always gotta be on duty in case someone gets hurt. Y'know, Christmas is a dangerous time of the year."

Though Ichigo said it nonchalantly, Rukia couldn't help but pity him a little. She tugged at his arm, "Since I feel sorry for you, how about we spend Christmas together? My step-brother is always at work so it'll just be me on Christmas too."

Ichigo frowned. "But the band is performing at Rush on Christmas."

"We'll have fun after that. Besides, I probably didn't pass the test anyway," Rukia sulked. Ichigo pinched Rukia's ear, dragging her into the classroom. "Ow ow!" she yelped.

"Mr. Kaien," Ichigo grunted, greeting the teacher rudely. He pointed at Rukia, whose ear was turning red already. "Did she pass the math test?"

"Idiot!" Rukia pulled away. She needed to mentally prepare for this. This was probably one of the biggest moments of her life! "Mr. Kaien, please don't tell me-"

Mr. Kaien looked at the results of the test. He frowned, then looked back at Rukia, who was breathless at the moment. His lips parted for a second, but he couldn't say what he wanted to say. Instead, he just handed the results to Rukia, who eagerly took a look at it despite how unwilling she was a second ago.

"Well?" Ichigo asked, waiting to see Rukia's gleaming face. When she didn't react, Ichigo snatched the test from her hand. Marked in red, there was a big letter B that was circled at the top of the age. There was a loud thump as Ichigo slammed the paper onto Mr. Kaien's desk, "She passed the test, didn't she?"

Mr. Kaien sighed, "She didn't meet the grade that we agreed upon. Sorry, but a deal's a deal."

Rukia broke out a half smile, "It's fine! I tried my best and this was what I could manage. With that, I'm satisfied."

Ichigo sneered at Rukia. In the past few days, all she had been talking about was performing in a real band. There was no way she was okay with this. "Come with me," Ichigo whispered, gesturing her to follow him. When they were alone in a corner of the room, he asked in an agitated voice, "What's with that, _'I'm satisfied,'_ reaction? Like hell you are."

"I really am okay, jeez. Don't make such a big deal out of it," Rukia said, puffing her face. "Besides, what am I supposed to do? Threaten him to let me join his cousin's band?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Wow you're naive," Rukia laughed frustratingly. "Really though. You don't have to get upset in my place."

Ichigo blinked dumbly before breaking out into an absurd laugh. "Me? Get upset in your place? Wow stalker," he patted Rukia's head. She frowned, wondering what he was so amused about.

Rukia walked away, "Weirdo."

Ichigo followed after Rukia, "If it makes you feel better, you can perform for my little sisters. They'll listen to anything, really."

Rukia quirked a brow, "Are you perhaps inviting me over?" Ichigo stuttered, scratching his head nervously. "I'm joking. What's with you today anyway? You're so jumpy." Ha, if only Ichigo knew the answer himself. "Anyway, I'm just sorry I couldn't make it into the band. I know you were looking forward to a date with Ms. Miyako."

Ichigo's brows narrowed. Was that why Rukia was so upset? Because now Ichigo wouldn't have a date with Ms. Miyako? "You're getting a little too generous," he noted, though Rukia wondered what he meant. Truthfully, he wasn't too bothered with Ms. Miyako now. He was a fool in the beginning to think that something could happen. "I think I'm feeling a little generous too."

"What do you mean now?"

"I mean... let's spend Christmas together."

Rukia was dumbfounded. Not because Ichigo asked to spend Christmas together, but because she agreed. "Sure," she said. What had possessed her to say yes? If she were in the right mind, she would've outright said no and call him gross. Now she was just... strange. "What did you have in mind?"

Ichigo shrugged. "What do people usually do on Christmas?"

"I dunno... eat cake, open presents, and sing carols."

They looked at each other and laughed, "Who does that anyway?" Ichigo asked.

"People with too much time on their hands," Rukia replied.

"You mean _normal _people?"

"We're not normal. You're the devil and I'm the stalker-"

"Ichigo?"

Rukia and Ichigo looked behind them to see Ms. Miyako, who looked like a nervous wreck. She took in deep breaths as she tried her best to look Ichigo in the eye. Ichigo was surprised to see her; he hadn't spoken to her since she rejected him. "Ms. Miyako," Ichigo said, slightly tilting his head forward.

Seeing Ms. Miyako and Ichigo biting their tongues and stuttering, Rukia pushed Ichigo forward to make the first move. "Keep trying," she said, reminding him of their conversation at the basketball court. "Oh, I just remembered that I had an errand to run!" Rukia suddenly dashed off in the other direction.

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted, wishing he wasn't alone with Ms. Miyako. It was already strange as it was. Realizing he couldn't keep running, he turned to her, who shuddered as they made eye contact. "If you came to apologize, don't. I should say sorry because I said something stupid."

Ms. Miyako shook her head, "Don't say it like that, please. It's just... You're a student and I'm a teacher."

"And if I wasn't a student?" Ichigo asked.

Ms. Miyako fell silent. "Can we just go back to the way we were before?" she pleaded.

"You want me to pretend that I don't like you?" Ichigo scoffed and turned around, walking away. "Easier said than done, Ms. Miyako."

Ms. Miyako was burdened with guilt. What could she do though? Dating Ichigo would be taboo for sure. "Is something on your mind?" She whizzed around to see Mr. Kaien, who seemed worried. "You're frowning; that's unlike you."

Ms. Miyako rubbed her brows, trying to get them to relax. "It's nothing I can't handle," she assured. However, it really was something she couldn't handle. What was she supposed to do in her situation? Ignore Ichigo? Something about that felt wrong.

Mr. Kaien gestured Ms. Miyako into his room. "Let's talk about this." Hesitantly, she followed him. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't suspect anything going on between you and Ichigo. For some reason, my precious T.A. seems to be involved as well."

"Rukia?" Ms. Miyako asked; a faint smile fell on her lips. "Did you come to have a liking to her? I guess we're both caught in a relationship between students."

"It's not like that between me and her." Mr. Kaien lifted his hand to Ms. Miyako's soft face, tucking her bangs behind her ear. "Despite what happened in the past, I still care a great deal about you as a friend."

Ms. Miyako cringed, hating the word 'friend.' She wanted to be more than that. If only she hadn't... "You're still angry that I ended our relationship?" she asked, feeling a pang of hurt in her chest.

Mr. Kaien realized that this conversation had to be brought up sooner or later. Things had to be settled here. "I went out of the country. All you had to do was wait a year," he uttered quietly.

"It was lonely without you. I couldn't stand it-"

"And so it was okay to take a break and find other partners? And when I came back, you suddenly wanted to start right where we left off at? It doesn't work like that."

Ms. Miyako shook with fear. There was nothing she could say to make things better. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Let's never speak of this again then." She left the room.

So with that, winter break started with everyone leaving home feeling bitter.

* * *

**Christmas Eve**

"Wh-Why'd you call me out here for? It's free-freezing!" Rukia's teeth chattered as she gripped tightly onto her scarf and coat. "I thought we agreed to meet on Christmas, not Christmas _Eve_!" she spoke through the cold.

Ichigo let out a sigh, annoyed with Rukia's bickering. "Relax shorty. I need help Christmas shopping." They both stood in the middle of downtown where people were busily roaming the streets to get where they needed to get to.

Rukia's eyes bulged, "Who does last minute Christmas shopping?" she shouted. It was clear that she wasn't having a good day. Of course, anyone would be angry when they're woken up at seven in the morning to be invited to go Christmas shopping on a freezing day. Rukia followed Ichigo as they headed towards the huge mall in Karakura.

"I need to get something for my younger twin sisters; they're 13. Despite them being twins, they're the exact opposite of each other. And since you're a girl, I thought you might know what to get them."

Rukia paused for a second before chuckling angrily, "Don't get me wrong; I'm honored that you'd ask me to help you with this... but what makes you think I'd know what little girls like? I was raised in a strict household where toys didn't even exist!"

Ichigo whistled, "Wow, that sucks," he said, trying to show some pity though it hardly seemed like he cared. He turned to Rukia, who was trying to figure out how Barbie dolls could be so interesting to play with. "So tell me then. If you were still a little girl, which thing would you want most?"

Rukia's eyes quickly darted to a Chappy rabbit doll sitting on the shelf of the toy store they were in. "I..." she pursed her lips. No, it'd be embarrassing to say that she would've wanted Chappy at the age of 13. Chappy was a toy for babies and if Ichigo got his sister a Chappy rabbit, Rukia was sure his sister would hate it. "At the age of 13, you can just get them makeup," she said coolly.

Ichigo quirked a brow, deciding whether he should get it for Yuzu, since Karin would never wear it. "Nah. I'd rather die than have Yuzu painting her face with muck."

"Then how about clothes? You can get her some cute clothes from-"

"I'm not trying to make my sister look cute so that she can reel in boys," Ichigo said protectively.

Rukia groaned; the day would never end. As hours passed, her feet began to blister and her head was beginning to blank out because all she could think about was the cold wind. "I give up! You're too picky when it comes to presents - it's the thought that counts, alright?" she said hysterically. Although she once told Mr. Kaien that she didn't believe in that phrase, Ichigo had driven her so mad that she was willing to say anything to get him to just pick a present so that she'd be able to go home.

They both sat down at a nearby table where they ordered food - hot dogs to be exact. Ichigo slurped on his soda before standing up and taking out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Rukia asked, sniffling.

"I just thought of the perfect gift. Hold on; I need to go make a phone call." Ichigo left Rukia by herself.

Rukia slammed her head onto the table. The whole day, they were aimlessly visiting numerous stores to find the perfect presents to no avail... but when Ichigo was casually drinking his soda, he thinks of the perfect gift in five seconds. He really was the devil.

"What?" Rukia lifted her head up from the table after hearing Ichigo call out to her. For some reason, she found herself staring at a simple white gift bag. It was a Christmas present. "What did you buy Yuzu and Karin?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo smacked Rukia on the back of her head, "It's for you, stupid."

"Huh?" Rukia gawked.

"I already got Yuzu and Karin something a long time ago. I just invited you out today because I wanted to know what to get you for Christmas."

Rukia stared, dumbfounded. As much as she was touched... "You made me walk a thousand miles with you for no reason, when you could've just asked me what I wanted for Christmas and that way I could've been home by now?"

"I did ask you, but you weren't being honest."

"Me not honest? I told you all the things I would've wanted!"

"No you didn't. You wanted Chappy the rabbit but you were too embarrassed to say it-... crud," Ichigo smacked himself in the face as he just told Rukia what he had gotten her.

Rukia lit up with surprise. "You got me Chappy the rabbit?" she asked. "Can I open it?" She dogged the gift bag.

"Might as well," Ichigo sighed. He watched, disgusted as Rukia smothered the toy against her. Still, he couldn't erase the cheeky grin that was replacing his pout. "Come on," he grabbed her by the forearm, "let me take you home before your family gets worried."

Rukia's gleaming face fell dark. It suddenly hit her like a brick - "Is this a date?" she asked, gasping as though it was such a heinous thing.

Ichigo merely shrugged, "I guess."

Rukia's eyes bulged. How come the devil Ichigo wasn't his typical self anymore? He was supposed to smack her on the head for saying something stupid like that. He was supposed to say 'ew' at her question. The whole day they were casually walking around the mall and eating together, laughing at stupid things. And to top it off, Ichigo bought her a Christmas present.

However, the worst part wasn't that they were on a date. It was the fact that Rukia was enjoying herself. She liked spending time with Ichigo, her nemesis. "Y-You can let go now," Rukia pulled away from Ichigo, who was still holding onto her.

They stopped in front of a tall and decorated Christmas tree that was in the middle of town near an ice rink. Despite it being night time, the lamps and the tree was able to light up the entire place. Colorful warm colors brought a nostalgic feeling to them as they looked away from each other. "Well aren't you going to say something?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia looked up at Ichigo, glaring before she fell dumb. Something caught her eye.

"What?" Ichigo looked up too. "So it's a mistletoe. Whatever," he uttered, though he couldn't hide the embarrassment on his face.

"R-Right? Traditions are for losers," Rukia meekly replied. "Anyway, you don't have to take me home. My brother would just interrogate you if he saw you. Let's depart here-" Rukia was cut off when her phone began ringing. She picked it up. "Mr. Kaien?" she blurted, shocked that she'd receive a call from him the day before Christmas.

Ichigo watched Rukia's eyes go from confused to wide.

"N-No way! Really?" Rukia asked breathlessly. "Thank you so much," she told Mr. Kaien, who then hung up. When Ichigo asked why she was so ecstatic, she told him, "He's letting me play in his cousin's band tomorrow!"

Ichigo returned the warm semi-smile, "Looks like all your wishes are being granted tonight huh?"

Rukia quieted down. She didn't feel it was right for only her to be happy. Ichigo's wishes haven't been answered yet. "I think I know what to get you for Christmas now," she told.

Ichigo frowned, "A box containing a poisonous snake?"

The sly look on Rukia's face didn't make Ichigo feel any better. "Trust me on this one."

They both enjoyed the scenery a little longer. Ichigo sighed, content with how things were. Despite him not being able to be with Ms. Miyako, he was fine. He glanced over at Rukia who was oblivious to his stares. "I feel like being a loser today."

"Eh-" Rukia felt Ichigo's hands upon her cheeks, pulling her to him. And then she felt it. His cold lips brushed lightly against her soft ones. Her heart throbbed with the simply kiss. "Ichi..."

"Merry Christmas," Ichigo said. The clock struck 12 midnight.

It was then then Rukia finally realized it - she wanted to be with Ichigo.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeaaaah! A kiss for the WIN!

Please review and look out for chapter 4!


	4. Christmas pt 1

"**Christmas pt. 1"**

"You kissed me," Rukia said, still a little stunned. She touched her lips with the tips of her fingers.

Ichigo rocked on his heels while growing flustered. "Yeah, about that..." he stepped a feet away from Rukia, "You won't castrate me for doing that, right?" He knew how much Rukia detested him.

Rukia frowned, "Why would I?"

What? Ichigo really expected for Rukia to scream at him for stealing her first kiss. Of course, he didn't know if it was her first kiss but it wasn't hard to tell she had virgin lips. "Because we're enemies and I kissed you without permission. I really just did it because I felt like it. I was hoping we could just forget about it."

_Now_ Rukia felt like screaming at Ichigo. Forget about their kiss under the mistletoe? How could she forget it, especially when she actually liked it? "Oh," Rukia laughed, "of course. I'm not mad though; kissing is no big deal. I do it all the time!" she lied, feeling like an idiot afterwards.

Ichigo looked at her strangely, "Well, see you later today then."

Rukia reached out before retreating. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she didn't have the courage to say it. How would he react if she told him she developed feelings for him? She could already imagine him laughing at her and calling her a gross stalker. "Ichigo..." she stammered, gulping. Ichigo waited for Rukia. "I uh... just be at Rush tonight!" Rukia slapped herself for being a scaredy cat.

"Do I really have a choice - I'm joking," Ichigo grabbed his arm in pain after Rukia punched him. "Good luck tonight; don't make a crappy performance. I'm not into anything half-assed done, got it?"

Rukia laughed at Ichigo, bidding him farewell.

* * *

**Kuchiki Household**

"What do I do?" Rukia chanted, pacing around her room while staring at the music sheets. She pulled at her hair and her eyes were constantly looking at the clock. "I've only got a few more hours until I perform - and everyone is going to be there! _Ichigo _is going to be there," she exasperated, gasping for air.

Rukia wasn't freaking out because she didn't have enough time to practice. Rather, she was terrified because of the way she began to see Ichigo. Whenever she looked at him, she wouldn't be seeing horns at the top of his head and fire surrounding him. She would be seeing him surrounded with a halo. Rukia groaned, collapsing to the floor.

"The worst part is that I don't even know if he likes me back," Rukia uttered. Her lips curved downward, remembering what Ichigo said. "He just felt like kissing me." She rolled onto her side, letting out a long sigh. Of course, how could he like her when he was in love with Ms. Miyako? "No no no!" Rukia sat up, slapping herself, but regretted doing so when her face began to throb. "I must not put myself down before even giving myself a chance. Tonight, I'll confess."

Rukia turned green, feeling sick to the stomach. But she had to confess. She had to gather the guts to do it. The reason she admired Ichigo in the first place was because of his courage and his nonchalant attitude. Now it was her turn to walk in his path.

"And if he doesn't like you back Rukia... then just wave up your arms and say 'forget it.' Easy as that." Rukia tried to convince herself that even if she was rejected, it wouldn't bother her much... but then how come her heart was beating so fast? She reached under her bed, grabbing a box.

The box was small, about the length of her hand. It was wrapped in red paper and tied with a simple white string that knotted into a bow. It was the perfect gift that she was planning to give to Ichigo tonight. Rukia laughed, wondering when she got caught up in him.

Rukia jolted when her cellphone rang; she picked it up, expecting it to be Ichigo. "Ms. Miyako?" she asked, surprised to hear her music teacher's troubled voice. What was with all the surprise calls from her teachers, she wondered. "What is it?"

"_Do you have time?" _Ms. Miyako asked, sounding a bit frantic.

Rukia pursed her lips. Honestly, what she should be doing right now was practicing for the show tonight, however she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong with her music teacher. "I do," Rukia said after much contemplating.

"_Let's meet."_

* * *

**Rush**

"You're nervous," Ms. Miyako noted, seeing Rukia's trembling hands. Rukia grimaced, shoving her hands into her pockets. Ms. Miyako laughed, taking a sip out of her glass of water. Rukia observed Ms. Miyako's every move as though she was up to something. "It's natural to feel like this before a big show. But you'll be fine. Ah, I brought you this too. She reached into her bag, pulling out a white guitar pick. "You always said you needed one, right?"

Rukia raised her brows, "Thank you," she accepted the gift. "But um..." She didn't want to sound like she disliked the fact that Ms. Miyako was going to watch her play a live performance. Of course, it made her happy, but all the more nervous.

"You're wondering why I called you out on Christmas?"

Rukia nodded. While they were having their conversation, the band was setting up the drum sets and testing the sound equipment including the lights.

Ms. Miyako sighed, "Kaien said he was letting you play with his band. I want to say I came out to see you do your best... but unfortunately, it's a selfish matter." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat while gulping down the last of her water. "Teachers aren't supposed to speak to their students about personal matters, but I feel that this must be an exception."

"Where are you getting at?" Rukia asked, curious.

"I don't know; I'm so confused and I hate it. Kaien and I-..."

At this point, Rukia realized that there had been something going on between her two teachers. "Unrequited love?" Rukia asked, feeling the same miserable feeling.

Ms. Miyako scoffed, "You can call it that." She fanned her face, trying to somehow dry away the tears. "You're wondering why I'm telling you this right?" Rukia hesitantly nodded. She felt awkward hearing this from Ms. Miyako, who was usually calm and composed. "I never meant to ask, but lately it's been haunting me nonstop. You and Kaien; is there something more than just a student-teacher relationship between you two?"

"No..!" Rukia exclaimed, nearly falling out of her chair at the accusation. "Me and Mr. Kaien? Gross," Rukia stuck out her tongue. "If that's what you're worrying about, you shouldn't because it's never going to happen."

Ms. Miyako laughed once more, "Seeing that outrageous reaction; I believe you. I'm so sorry Rukia. I must seem like one of those creepy and clingy ex-girlfriends you see in soap operas, huh?"

Rukia waved her arms, "No, not at all. I understand exactly how you feel. The feeling of being unwanted... It sucks."

Ms. Miyako had a pained face. She crumpled a napkin in her hands, "I wonder why I'm still holding onto the past when there's no more me and him anymore. Moving on would be nice."

"Yeah," Rukia nodded. If only she could throw away her gross, lovey=dovey feelings for Ichigo, she wouldn't be feeling like such a hopeless romantic. "Actually..." Ms. Miyako raised her brows questionably.

"Yes?"

Rukia stammered, feeling jittery. Her tongue got trapped in her throat as she couldn't bring herself to speak her mind. She clutched tightly onto her coat, "To move on... you have to let go of the ones you used to love and look around and see the ones who care about you." Rukia pointed behind Ms. Miyako.

Ms. Miyako glanced over her shoulder, seeing a surprised Ichigo. "Ms. Miyako... Rukia." Ichigo blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining Ms. Miyako. "Uh... Merry Christmas. Oh, and flowers for you," he shoved a bouquet of magnolias into Rukia's arms. "G-Good luck tonight."

"Thanks," Rukia grinned. "How'd you know I like magnolias?"

"Excuse us Ms. Miyako." Ichigo quickly pulled Rukia to the side. "I overheard your conversation with Ms. Miyako last time. By the way, what's she doing here?" he hissed, blushing already.

Rukia averted her eyes to Ms. Miyako, who was just as surprised as Ichigo. Rukia gaped, trying to speak. Confess, she told herself. She had to confess, but was now really the time to do it after she just told Ms. Miyako to consider Ichigo's feelings? Stuck in a sticky situation, Rukia threw up her arms, "Merry Christmas!"

Ichigo frowned, "What-"

"Bringing Ms. Miyako here is my present to you." Rukia turned Ichigo around, pushing him to Ms. Miyako. "Don't be shy Ichigo. This was the plan from the beginning. You get the girl and I get my freedom, right?"

"Uh, yeah but-"

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about her?" Rukia asked, tapping her foot on the ground.

"No, but you're acting strange."

"Well duh, because I'm performing in less than five minutes. I gotta go now, so just hurry and thank me, geez."

Ichigo couldn't put a finger on it, but something told him that Rukia wasn't as happy as she sounded. Despite that, he ignored it, falling for her story. "Thanks, kid. You make a great wingman, y'know?" Ichigo ruffled her hair. "Break a leg up there. Literally, though."

Rukia faked a laugh, "Ha ha, stupid devil."

Ichigo turned to Ms. Miyako, who was staring down at her lap to avoid his eyes. He cleared his throat, catching her attention. Ichigo took a seat in front of her, "Would you like something to eat?" he asked, picking up the menu and flipping through the pages.

Ms. Miyako's brows pushed together, "You're not angry with me?"

"Should I be?" Ichigo continued paying little attention to her. Finally, he looked at Ms. Miyako. "I was wrong to have gotten upset last time. It's not your fault that you can't choose who you love, right?" He shrugged, "It's fine. After the band is done playing the song, I'll forget about you."

Ms. Miyako grimaced. Finally the lights dimmed down and the red curtains pulled away, revealing the band.

A shaky grin made its way to Rukia's face as she caught sight of the crowd in front of them. Her eyes followed to Ichigo, who was smirking devilishly at her. Rukia could tell that he was tempting her to get angry at him so that she'd play her best to prove how great she was compared to him, the almighty devil. Finally, the song began with the intro of a soft harmonica. Rukia's fingers plucked gently at the steel strings, complementing the vocal chords.

At that moment, Ichigo really admired Rukia. With the way she was playing the guitar like a true pro, Ichigo really couldn't understand why she looked up to him, a no good, when she was so amazing. She looked graceful and beautiful.

The band continued to play into the night when finally it was reaching its end. "She's lovely, huh?" Ms. Miyako asked, nudging Ichigo.

"Yeah..." Ichigo replied, mesmerized. "Ms. Miyako?" Ichigo asked, feeling her hand on his.

Ms. Miyako's eyes were apologetic as they glistened. She didn't want the song to be over, because when it was, Ichigo would forget about her. Her hands squeezed his, "Tell me again - say that you like me."

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun dun. Has Rukia really decided to hand Ichigo over to Ms. Miyako? Does Ms. Miyako see Ichigo as more than a student? What will Ichigo do!?

I love complicated and sappy love stories :)


	5. Christmas pt 2

"**Christmas pt. 2"**

"Yo, Kuchiki!"

Rukia turned around after putting her guitar back into its case. "Oh, Izaya-san. Again, thanks so much for letting me perform with your band tonight." She tilted her head forward. Izaya was the lead vocalist.

"I should be thanking you. You played great out there."

Rukia blushed, flattered with the compliment. Despite being so nervous after seeing Ichigo and Ms. Miyako sitting together, she was amazed with her own performance. Rukia grabbed her guitar case and lingered towards the exit. She looked back at the stage, sighing with the bitter farewell. Everyone had already left the Rush restaurant, including Ichigo and Ms. Miyako.

"Rukia you coward," she said to herself. She looked up at the dark sky, seeing a trail of shimmering stars. "When did you start having a soft spot for the devil?" Rukia lingered home, somehow feeling regretful with the way things turned out. Even though she played the guitar splendidly, which was supposed to be her main priority today... she couldn't but feel incomplete.

"Hey, Rukia! You played great tonight."

Rukia spun around, hoping to see a certain someone, only to find herself with disappointment. "Mr. Kaien... I didn't think you'd be here tonight."

Mr. Kaien rushed over to her side, panting. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Oh, and here. Merry Christmas." He held out a small present. "I hope you're still not angry at me after I almost didn't let you play in the band."

Rukia thanked him for the gift. "I'm not angry. I'm happy, really."

Mr. Kaien gave a sigh of relief. "That's great. Hey, open your present."

"In front of you? That's awkward," Rukia laughed.

"Come on, I insist. I want to see the look on your face."

"Well... alright then," Rukia said when she realized Mr. Kaien wouldn't stop pestering her. Nervously, her fingers removed the lid of the blue box. She stared hard at the present.

"You don't like it?" Mr. Kaien asked, devastated when Rukia didn't show a single sign of excitement. "Ah, I knew it. It is weird getting a student this kind of thing."

Rukia quickly denied it, "No! It's... lovely." She held up the necklace. It was silver and had a heart pendant. Truthfully, Rukia wasn't sure what to make of it. Surely, something like this wasn't just a friendly present.

Mr. Kaien smiled, taking the jewelry and putting it around her neck. At this point, Rukia wanted to slap herself for suddenly feeling all shy and weird. Her face began heating up for no reason and here she was thinking that perhaps Mr. Kaien felt something for her that he shouldn't be feeling. Still, she assumed she was just over thinking the situation.

"Sorry I didn't get you anything, even though you went through the trouble to let me play in your cousin's band and bought me this necklace." Rukia scratched her head, hoping he didn't see her as this inconsiderate leech.

Mr. Kaien didn't respond to her apology. "And done," he stood in front of her, admiring how nice she looked wearing his present. "Well, that's that. Shall I take you home?"

Rukia was quick to say no. "My brother will pick me up," she lied. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with him any longer. It was just so... _weird_. Plus, if someone from school was to see them together, it'd definitely look bad.

"Is that so? Well... Then I'll see you at school later."

Rukia nodded, waving as Mr. Kaien left. When he was gone, she let out a long sigh. "How did things wind up like this?"

"Wind up like what?"

This time, Rukia's face lit with surprise. "Ichigo," she called out dumbly as though she hadn't seen him in years. Well, it sure felt like years. "You're still here." Rukia couldn't help but smile a little. She thought that she wouldn't be seeing him again until school started, which was in another week. Rukia realized now that she _had _to confess. There was no doubt that she had feelings for him. "Ichigo, about our kiss-"

"Before that, I want to thank you." Ichigo grinned broadly, "And before I carry on, I just want to say: in your face!" He laughed, pointing his finger in Rukia's face. "You said Ms. Miyako would never go out with me, but-"

"She did?" Rukia asked. Her arms dropped to her side and her bangs hanged over her eyes. Ichigo frowned, sensing something was odd. He bent his knees, trying to get a look at her-

"Ow," Ichigo grabbed his arm in pain after Rukia punched him hard.

"Congratulations!" Rukia laughed, "Fi-na-lly. I was getting tired of being your wingman." She punched him again, "Treat her right, got it?"

Ichigo took a step back, afraid Rukia would attack him again. He nodded, "I will. But you know, it seems like you're in the situation I used to be." When Rukia raised her brows in confusion, he pointed at her necklace. "Don't act dumb. I saw what happened with you and Mr. Kaien. Although, in contrast to me and Ms. Miyako, it seems like the teacher has the crush on the student this time."

Rukia sneered and pushed Ichigo to the side, storming off. "What are you blabbering about, devil? It's Christmas. Receiving a gift from a friend is common during this holiday."

"A necklace from a guy friend? Do you know what that means? That necklace isn't a gift - it's a _collar_. Mr. Kaien's already making dibs on you." Ichigo snickered as he followed Rukia. He threw up his arms, "Anyway~... What were you saying about our kiss?"

Rukia halted; Ichigo nearly ran into her. Before she found out about Ichigo and Ms. Miyako's new relationship, she had planned on confessing. Seeing Ichigo finally getting what he wanted all this time, she felt it wasn't right to confess anymore. He didn't deserve being burdened with her feelings. Who was she now? Rukia couldn't get in between Ichigo and Ms. Miyako. "Oh, the kiss. I was just about to say that you better not tell Ms. Miyako about it. I wouldn't want her breaking up with you after all the things I went through to get you two together."

Ichigo scoffed, "Obviously."

Rukia hung her head low. A few times, she'd glance at Ichigo, who was still grinning to himself just thinking about Ms. Miyako, completely oblivious to Rukia's feelings. After walking in silence for about ten minutes, they reached Rukia's home. "Thanks for walking me here."

"Yeah. Well then, I guess I'll see you at school-"

"No, you won't."

Ichigo was confused. "What, are you moving or something?"

Rukia shook her head. "I've been thinking about it as we were walking and I think it's best if we remain as strangers. Afterall, it was part of our deal this entire time. I help you get the girl and in return, you don't spread the rumor of me being your stalker. Once the deal is done, we have no further affiliation. And since you finally got the girl..."

"Yeah, that was how it was _originally_. But come on. I thought we actually became friends."

Rukia gave a bitter grin. She patted his back, "I had a great time being your accomplice; it was fun while it lasted."

"Rukia," Ichigo called her name for the first time. "I... If you ever need a wingman, I'm here."

Rukia laughed, nodding. "Even so, the person I like... you'll never be able to get him to like me back. Merry Christmas and goodnight."

Ichigo waved to Rukia as she closed the gates behind her. "Rukia!" He cupped his hands around his mouth, "Who do you like?"

Rukia bellowed back, "Guess you'll have to become my stalker to find out, won't you?"

Ichigo smirked, "What a devil."

Rukia returned to her home. She went upstairs into her room, putting her guitar away and getting ready for bed. She fell on her back and onto the bed. Reaching into her coat, she pulled out the present that was meant for Ichigo. Opening the box, she pulled out the new earphones that she had been meaning to give to him. "He has no use for these since he can just listen to Ms. Miyako playing her piano whenever he wants now."

And just like her feelings, she stashed the gift away.

* * *

**A/N: **Nuuu! Our broken-hearted Rukia! Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this chapter; please look forward to the next one and review!


	6. Scandalous

"**Scandalous"**

That morning was the first time Ichigo ever felt eager to go to school. He quickly threw on his dress shirt and pants; he even fixed his tie properly this time. He checked the mirror twice to make sure he didn't have bed hair.

"Ichigo!" His dad, Isshin, peeked through the doorway with eyes glistening. "Could it be that you've finally got..." he held up his pinky finger, "a girlfriend-"

"Thanks for the breakfast," Ichigo grabbed the toast and left to avoid an emotional and dramatic confrontation with his dad. Had he stayed any longer, Isshin might've started the water works and the speech of how Ichigo has grown so much.

Ichigo glanced down at his guitar case for music class. He looked ahead with a positive attitude. Ms. Miyako was finally his. He finally got the girl. Another good thing that came out of his pursuit for her was that he was actually able to learn how to play the guitar.

"Rukia's going to be so jealous when she learns I can play almost as good as her-..." Ichigo stopped in his tracks. He scowled, kicking the dirt, "Who's Rukia anyway?" he grumbled, continuing his way to Karakura High. Honestly, what was up with Rukia deciding that they should pretend to be strangers? "If that's what she wants, then whatever."

And as always, Ichigo arrived to school early. He looked up to the school rooftop, where surprisingly, he saw Rukia leaning against the rail. Ichigo made his way up the flight of stairs.

"Hey," Ichigo greeted. "I saw you up here and I thought I'd say hi."

Rukia didn't even glance at him. She just sipped on her juice box, ignoring him as she looked down. Ichigo stood beside her, watching the students arrive to school.

"So is it that guy you like? Or is it Ishida Uryu? I heard he's quite-"

A yawn escaped Rukia while she stretched. Out of nowhere, she jabbed her finger into Ichigo's chest, who winced. "Let's get one thing straight; this roof is _mine_. If I see you here again, I'll throw you off, got it?"

Ichigo stared, wide eyed at this new Rukia. Suddenly, she had taken the identity of a bully. "Were you being serious when you said you wanted us to be strangers?" Ichigo laughed, "I don't see why you think we shouldn't be friends. It'll be just like before."

"Ichigo," Rukia finally said. Ichigo sighed, relieved to know that Rukia wouldn't act like she forgot him. "Ms. Miyako once thought you and I had a thing. If she saw us together, it'd look bad."

Ichigo mouthed a silent 'oh.' He wagged his finger at Rukia, "You think ahead, don't you? Smart, smart." He shrugged, "Still, that won't matter. Ms. Miyako isn't the jealous type."

Rukia laughed to herself, recalling how miserable Ms. Miyako was when she thought Rukia and Mr. Kaien were an item. Not jealous? Yeah, _right_. "Still. I'd prefer it if you didn't approach me like this again. I really mean it when I say I want us to be strangers."

"Did I do something wrong?" Ichigo asked, curious as to why Rukia was building a wall around her.

"No, it's just... The only reason why I helped you win Ms. Miyako's heart was because I wanted to get away from you in the end. And that part hasn't changed."

"So you're saying that when we pretended it was my birthday to get free cake, when you gave me those words of encouragement at the basketball court, and when we spent Christmas Eve together... all that wasn't a result of our friendship?"

Rukia thought about it briefly. "They weren't. Look, when co-workers work together, they have to be professional and put aside whatever emotions they have to get things done, even if they hate that other person. At the end of the day, it's all business."

Ichigo laughed at himself, feeling stupid. "I guess I misunderstood you. Sorry, Kuchiki." He brushed past Rukia, slamming the door behind him.

Rukia nodded, looking back at the ground from above.

* * *

**Music Class**

"Hey," Ichigo greeted Ms. Miyako, who was writing the agenda on the whiteboard. "You look good today," he took a seat in front of her. She wore a pencil skirt and a champagne colored blouse.

"Then do I look bad other days?" Ms. Miyako asked, raising a brow.

Ichigo stuttered, "N-No... I'm just saying, you look nicer than usual and-"

"Relax," Ms. Miyako chuckled, "I'm only kidding." She glanced at the door, making sure it was closed. She leaned forward, bent her knees and placed a kiss on Ichigo's lips. "Your ears are red," she teased, only causing Ichigo to panic. "How cute."

Ichigo rubbed his cheeks. The last thing he wanted to be called was 'cute.' "Yeah, well-"

"Good afternoon Ms. Miyako!" greeted the music club students, who rushed into the room.

Ichigo quickly returned to his seat. He sighed as Ms. Miyako started the session. He looked over to the vacant seat beside him where Rukia used to sit. After replaying what he told Rukia earlier, he began to feel uneasy. "I'll apologize to her when she comes." Right, he'll apologize and he'll leave it at that.

However, as the minutes went by, Rukia never showed up to class. Ichigo tapped his foot, glaring at the empty desk. "I-Is this seat taken?" asked a trembling student, who was the epitome of a nerd. His thick glasses were large, round, and somewhat magnified his pupils. His nose was running and his skinny ankles shook.

No way was Ichigo letting this boy sit in Rukia's chair. "Take a hike," Ichigo snarled, guarding the seat like it was part of his territory.

The boy yelped. "Ichigo, is something wrong?" Ms. Miyako asked. Everyone glanced at Ichigo, who groaned at the attention.

"He's trying to sit in Rukia's seat," Ichigo replied.

Ms. Miyako turned to the nervous boy, "It's okay, you can sit there." The boy took a second look at the seat and was hesitant to, in fear that Ichigo would bite him. "Ichigo, Rukia switched out of music club and into the newspaper club this morning."

Ichigo sunk into his seat, now troubled more than ever. He knew for a fact that Rukia loved music club more than anything. There was no reason why she'd abandon the club - unless, she was trying to avoid a certain someone.

* * *

**Next Day**

"Kuchiki-san. Although you are a new member to the newspaper club, I want you to understand that I will not be too lenient on newcomers. Understand?" asked Ms. Yoruichi, the teacher of the club. Rukia nodded. Even though it was her second day here, she was already missing music club. "Here," Yoruichi tossed a large camera at Rukia, who barely caught it. "That's expensive, so don't break it!"

"Right," Rukia said in a whispered voice.

Ms. Yoruichi stood up from her large oak desk, pacing the room. Her office had a bunch of newspaper stapled on the wall; it was obvious that she was the type of woman who was into daily events. "In Karakura High, we're not looking for rumors. We look for _facts_. But most importantly," she slammed her fists on the table, "we look for the dirty stuff."

Rukia raised her brows, "What kind of dirty stuff?" she asked, a little terrified.

"Get your head out of the gutter. If the principal would let us publish that kinky stuff, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But since we can't, we gotta aim for the next dirty stuff. I want something scandalous, but true at the same time. Get me?"

Rukia nodded, even though she really didn't get Ms. Yoruichi. Rukia wasn't even sure if they were still allowed to write about scandalous things, but whatever made Ms. Yoruichi satisfied was good enough for her.

"Alright Kuchiki. Get out there and get me a story that'll make people go insane!"

Rukia sighed as she left Ms. Yoruichi's office. She really didn't know what kind of entry to write. "Maybe I should go to the cafeteria." Word had it that the cafeteria food had rat poison and fungus in it. The new lunch lady, Rukia heard, was an unhygienic, mean, and disgusting person. She already guessed that that was a rumor, but then again... it never hurt to try.

Rukia lifted the camera to her eyes, looking through the lens. Everything looked big and-

"Oof!"

Rukia fell to her rear end. The first thing that ran through her mind was the camera. Oh, if it was broken, Ms. Yoruichi would bring Rukia to the guillotine! When it looked okay, she glanced back up to the person she ran into. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"K-Kuchiki-san," the boy scrambled to his feet as he bowed his head.

"Hiro-san," Rukia greeted. "You're in the music club now?" she asked, seeing him carrying a flute. Hiro and Rukia were classmates in Mr. Kaien's math class.

Hiro was the 'nerd' who Ichigo was picking a fight with earlier. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his finger, "Y-Yes. And you're in the um..." He pointed to Rukia's camera.

"Newspaper club. Say, is there anything scandalous around here you know about? Ms. Yoruichi has really high expectations of me." When Hiro looked around, he gave a loud sniff, pulled up his pants, and leaned forward. Rukia knew she hit the jackpot.

"I think there may be something going on... something _forbidden_. If you write a story about this, it'll help us both out."

"And what's that?" asked Rukia.

Hiro's lips curved into a big smile, revealing his braces. He gestured Rukia to follow him. "Look closely." He pointed into the music club window.

Rukia raised a brow and peeked through the cracks of the blindfold. "I see a lot of drums, string instruments, and desks. I don't see anything-..." A bewildered gasp left Rukia. Ichigo was embracing Ms. Miyako.

Hiro nodded, "Kurosaki Ichigo is having an affair with the music teacher- where are you going? Take a picture!"

"Th-That's not proof of an affair! Friends give hugs and people don't call it an affair. Anyway, thanks for the help Hiro-san. See ya!" Rukia made a run for it, leaving the conversation short.

* * *

**Rooftop**

"Let me guess," Ichigo smirked, "you called me up here to apologize and beg for me to be your buddy again eh?" He rocked on his heels, inhaling a deep breath of air. "Kuchiki, Kuchiki, Kuchiki." He circled Rukia, who was nervously biting her nails. "If you want to be my sidekick again, you have to-"

"Someone figured out your relationship with Ms. Miyako!" Rukia shouted. Originally, she wanted to say it to Ichigo in a delicate way as to not freak him out, but hey, some things just don't go according to plan.

Ichigo blinked stupidly. "What?" he finally asked.

Rukia paced around frantically, "I don't want to call out names because I know you might just storm off to find, and possibly kill, this person. So let's talk about this like adults, okay?"

"Someone figured us out?" Ichigo and Rukia turned around to see Ms. Miyako standing at the door looking quite pale in disbelief. "I knew this was a bad idea," she murmured to herself.

Ichigo called out to her, "Ms. Miyako, what are you doing here?" he asked. It was the only thing he could say.

Ms. Miyako tossed Ichigo's backpack at him, "You forgot this in my class. Listen, Ichigo. Don't come near me anymore, okay?" She took a few steps back, ready to leave.

"Wait; I'll figure this out. It's not something you need to worry about-"

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "It was irresponsible of me to seduce a student," Ms. Miyako hid behind her hair that fell over her eyes. She was embarrassed with the way things turned out. If word spread, she was in risk of losing her job and facing charges.

"Ms. Miyako..." Ichigo watched the door close behind her. He glared, turning to Rukia, "Who found out?" He demanded an answer. He wanted the poor bastard's head on his wall this instant.

Rukia waved her arms, panicking, "Calm down Ichigo. I'll find a way to help you-"

"Or is it you?" Ichigo asked, looming over Rukia who was now gaping in shock at his accusation. "Right? This is payback for me threatening to tell the school that you're my stalker."

"I don't believe it," Rukia returned the sneer. Ichigo blaming her was so unbelievable that it made her laugh. "For what purpose would that serve me since you never told people that lie?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Ichigo was practically in Rukia's face as he flared his nostrils, "I don't know. Maybe you're jealous."

"Jealous!?" Rukia roared, "Of what?"

Ichigo pointed his finger at Rukia, "You like me," he simply said.

There was a moment of silence before Rukia barked out cackling so hard that her stomach hurt. "Repeat that again, Mr. Kuro-cocky!"

Ichigo raised his voice, and at this point, they were both screaming at each other. "I said you're in love with me! And because of that, you're threatening to tell the world about me and Ms. Miyako."

Rukia stood her tiptoes; her face was red with anger and her eyes were bulging. "Well you know what!?"

"What!?"

Rukia bit her tongue and curled her hands into fists. She closed her eyes and shouted, "You're stupid!"

"Ha?" Ichigo squinted his eyes into slits, "You little midget- ah!" He yelped, grabbing his shin after Rukia kicked hard against it. "You..."

"Look here," Rukia grabbed him by the collar, lifting him to her face. Ichigo whimpered, seeing the menacing look in her eyes. "_No one_ is in love with you. Now if you want to save your relationship with Ms. Miyako, we gotta work together, understand?"

Ichigo nodded in fear. "S- Sorry for accusing you. Friends?" He extended his hand out.

Rukia looked at his hand. Was he purposely trying to rub it in her face that all they would ever be is friends? Even so, she shook it, though a bit grudgingly.

"We need to find a way first to stop this mess. Our true 'culprit' is Hiro," said Rukia.

"What? You mean that no good?"

Rukia eyed Ichigo. "No wonder why he's out to get you," she sighed.

"I mean it though. He's a nasty kid. By nasty, I don't mean booger eating nasty, I mean nasty as in... rude- what are you giving me that look for?" Ichigo asked; Rukia yawned, bored with his fictional tale already. "I'm not lying. He kicks puppies, peeps into the girl's locker room-"

"You would know that he peeks in the girl's locker room."

Ichigo turned red, "Th-That's a story for another day. Geez, to think I even tutored this kid and here he is, backstabbing me-"

"Wait wait wait. You tutored him?" Rukia asked.

"Once or twice. Despite his nerdy appearance, his grades are awful."

"Ichigo. I think I have a solution."

* * *

**Math Class**

"_What?_" Mr. Kaien repeated even though Rukia and Ichigo explained the situation to him about five times. He gawked at them from behind his desk while they loomed over him. The blinds were closed and the door was shut tight; they were speaking of an extremely confidential matter. "You want me to do something illegal, is what you're saying?"

Rukia faked a laugh to lighten the mood, "Well, when you put it that way, it seems a bit overwhelming-"

"That's because it _is_," Mr. Kaien deadpanned.

"Look, you don't even have to do anything. If we're caught, then you just say you had no part in this," said Ichigo.

Mr. Kaien threw a glare at Ichigo, who became stiff as a board. "And you," he pointed his finger at Ichigo, "if you hadn't gone and swept Ms. Miyako off her feet, this situation never would've happened." Ichigo had a feeling that there was a tint of jealousy in his voice. He crossed his arms, "I'm not going to help you solve this mess you created."

"Not even for Ms. Miyako?" asked Rukia. She knew she had Mr. Kaien when worry spread across his face. "If she's caught, she'll be fired. She might even face jail time. Rumors will spread about her and-"

Unable to take it anymore, Mr. Kaien shoved his keys into their faces. "The answer key for the test are in the second drawer over there. Take it when I'm not around." He threw on his coat and got ready to leave for his break. "We never had this conversation, understood?"

Ichigo and Rukia nodded. Finally, Mr. Kaien left.

They both opened the drawer to find the answer key. Rukia grabbed the paper delicately as though it were a bomb. "Hiro sits right here." She slid the paper into his desk, placing it where it wasn't too visible. "After we take the math test tomorrow, I'll change Hiro's wrong answers into the correct ones. When he gets an A+, Mr. Kaien will search his desk and find the answer key. He'll assume Hiro cheated and he'll give him a warning, but he won't send Hiro to the office."

"And then you'll blackmail Hiro into not spreading the word about me and Ms. Miyako by threatening to submit to Ms. Yoruichi a journal entry about his cheating and the whole school would find out about it if he does." Ichigo raised a brow, "You're pretty evil."

Rukia shrugged, "I guess. Well, cross your fingers this operation works out."

"Wait," Ichigo grabbed Rukia by the hand, letting go suddenly. "E-Er... can you tell me why you're doing this? I mean, this really is just my problem and not yours. Even if you don't help me, I won't tell the school you're a stalker."

Hm, Rukia wished she knew the answer herself. "I worked too hard to get you together with Ms. Miyako to have it all ruined so soon. See ya."

Rukia left Ichigo by himself. He sighed, somehow wishing that the reason she was helping him would be different.

* * *

**One Week Later**

"I- I swear, I didn't cheat!" Hiro exclaimed while glancing down at his perfect test and back up at Mr. Kaien repeatingly. "I don't know how I got a perfect score, b-but maybe it was just pure luck. Mr. Kaien, I swear, I didn't even study for this test!"

"And how do you explain this?" Mr. Kaien held out the answer sheet in front of Hiro, "I found this in your desk."

Hiro was on the verge of tears. His knees shook and he was seriously ready to urinate in his pants. "I don't know how that got there."

Mr. Kaien pitied the kid. He honestly didn't do anything wrong. He bit back his tongue while contemplating whether he was doing the right thing. No, being selfish wasn't right. The only reason he willingly agreed to play a role in his crime was because he wanted to protect Ms. Miyako. "Fine," he answered. "I'll let you off with this warning, but if something like this happens again..."

Hiro's eyes lit with joy as he was prepared to get on his knees and kiss Mr. Kaien's shoes.

Mr. Kaien grimaced, "Just go before I change my mind." He sat in his chair, rubbing his temples as he tried to rid the guilt building up in him. Why was he even doing this for Ms. Miyako? She wasn't his anymore - she was with Ichigo. "Oh, you're here," he turned to the entryway to see Rukia coming in. "Did you speak with Hiro?"

Rukia nodded. She took a seat in front of him, wiping away the sweat on her forehead. "I could barely look him in the eye, but he caved in anyway. He'll keep his mouth shut."

Mr. Kaien let out a breath of relief. "That's good."

"I'm really sorry we had to put you in this situation. It won't happen again."

"It's alright. I wanted to help in any way I could." Mr. Kaien looked around, "Where's Ichigo?" he asked. Rukia told him that Ichigo would arrive in a minute. "I see. Who would've thought that he and Ms. Miyako would..."

"It's strange how fate works, isn't it?" Rukia asked.

Mr. Kaien eyed Rukia, who was sighing every now and then. Her eyes would flicker across the room and she would sometimes mutter to herself. "You know, I have a feeling that the story isn't over yet. Fate is still working its magic."

Rukia raised her brows, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Mr. Kaien walked over to Rukia's side. He bent down so that they were at eye level, "Ms. Miyako and Ichigo aren't supposed to be together."

* * *

**Music Class**

"Wait, I don't understand. Why are you still upset?" Ichigo asked , who was now feeling uneasy about their relationship. "Hiro isn't going to tell anymore, so why are you doubting us?"

Ms. Miyako tried to explain to Ichigo that things just couldn't remain the same as before. "And what if we're discovered again? Are you going to blackmail another student?" she asked, terrified of the future. "I don't want to hide something like this anymore. I don't want to constantly look over my shoulder."

"We'll be careful this time-"

"I don't like you," Ms. Miyako ended abruptly. She apologized after seeing the empty look in Ichigo's face. "When I'm with you, I don't find myself looking forward to anything. I'm always wondering when our relationship will end; when it's like that, you already know it's not going to work out well." She apologized some more and grabbed Ichigo by the hand, "You already realized it, didn't you? That I only agreed to go out with you so that I could try and get over Kaien. Thank you for never minding my selfishness."

Ichigo shook his head, "It wasn't that I didn't mind. It's simply because I was desperate." Ms. Miyako hoped that things didn't have to end so bitterly. "I'm glad you allowed me to care for you, even if it was just for a little while." Then she understood. Ichigo wasn't angry. He was a bit sad, yes, but he held no regrets. "I hope things turn out good for you too."

Ms. Miyako nodded. "Just like you, I won't give up. I'll go speak to Kaien."

"I'll go too."

Strangely, on their way to Mr. Kaien's class, there was no awkward silence between them. It was a casual walk. Ichigo glanced at her, and he realized that this was how it ought to be. Yes, he wished Ms. Miyako would change her mind, but he knew that things were better like this.

"Ichigo," Ms. Miyako spoke softly, "did you know that I once had a conversation about unrequited love with a very good friend of ours?" Ichigo scoffed, knowing she meant Rukia. Ichigo feared what Rukia told her. Perhaps she said something idiotic or maybe something embarrassing. But instead, it was something wise. "She told me, _'To move on, you have to let go of the ones you used to love and look around and see the ones who care about you.'_ I think this may apply to you."

Ichigo chuckled, "How sappy," he remarked. "No one cares about me, the no good orange head."

"That's not true. Secretly, there is someone who loves you very much. You just don't realize it yet."

"A secret admirer?" Ichigo asked.

Ms. Miyako laughed, shaking her head. "You're very dense. I think you may even like this person back." Ichigo gave her a peculiar look, "And no, it's not me," she slapped him away.

Ichigo raised his arms into a shrug, sighing. "Quit beating around the bush and tell me who this woman is. Or don't tell me - it's just a nonexistent imaginary girl?" Ichigo was curious. He wanted to know who Ms. Miyako was talking about. If there was someone out there who had caught his attention, he needed to speak with her-

"K- Kaien..." Ms. Miyako's hands lifted to her lips as she let out an inaudible gasp. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Ichigo looked into the room, seeing Kaien embracing Rukia. It wasn't just a simple hug. It was more than a friendly one. It was one that lovers shared. Rukia wasn't sure what to make of the situation. One thing led to another - she could only remember having a normal conversation with Mr. Kaien before he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. "M-Mr. Kaien," she struggled out of his hold. "Ichigo!" Rukia shouted after Ichigo had pushed Mr. Kaien off her.

"Get off her, you old geezer," Ichigo threw a punch at him. He raised his fist, ready to hit him again, only to be stopped as Ms. Miyako grabbed his arm.

"That's enough," Ms. Miyako pleaded. She tended Mr. Kaien's wound, "You should go Ichigo."

"Come on, let's go," Rukia dragged Ichigo out of the room before anyone saw them in there.

* * *

**Rooftop**

"Geez, what was that all about?" Rukia asked as she bandaged Ichigo's hand. It was beginning to bruise.

Ichigo was still glaring at the ground, wincing every now and then. "I should be asking you that."

Rukia blinked owlishly, "How should I know? He just attacked me with a hug, so what? You didn't have to go around throwing punches though," she groaned, muttering about how Ichigo was such a kid who couldn't control his temper. "I get that you did it because you didn't want Ms. Miyako seeing me and Mr. Kaien hugging, but that was no way to react," she scolded.

Ichigo threw his head back, admiring the blue sky and the rolling clouds. "Actually, she and I broke up," he calmly said.

Ichigo's 'cool' moment was immediately destroyed when Rukia grabbed him by the shoulders, violently shaking him back and forth. "Why?" she asked, hysterical. "Don't tell me you told her about the mole on your butt?" she asked, remembering how grossed out she was when Ichigo tried to show it to her.

"No!" Ichigo retorted. "She still has feelings for Mr. Kaien. Besides, it was bound to never work out."

Rukia turned red. "You piss me off."

"What?"

"How can you be so calm?" Rukia asked. "I remember how much you wanted to be with her. It makes me mad to see you suddenly giving up like this. I actually wanted to see you succeed in your '_quest for love._'" Rukia finally finished patching Ichigo up. She turned to him, "Are you sad?"

Ichigo leaned back, propping himself up with his arms. "Actually, I'm not." He looked over at Rukia, who was lying on her back. Her face was so gentle and her skin looked soft. Her hair flowed in the right places and she just seemed so... perfect. Before, he never even saw her like this. Before, he just saw her as a little troll. And now, she was like a creature from a different planet. "Rukia, I actually didn't attack Mr. Kaien for Ms. Miyako."

Rukia opened one eye, "Then why'd you do it?"

"... Because I didn't like what I saw, him holding you and all. I was jealous."

Rukia gave a funny look. "What? Did it look fun to hug me? If you want to hold me, all you gotta do is ask. I only charge a hundred dollars per hug," she winked.

Ichigo didn't laugh. He finally understood what Ms. Miyako was talking about - who she was talking about. The 'nonexistent imaginary girl' was Rukia all this time. "I don't mean that, I..." Ichigo struggled to say the right words. "What I mean is... I think I like you."

Rukia's eyes widened and Ichigo looked away, unable to face her.

* * *

**A/N: **Dun, _dun_, _**DUN**_!

Finally, Ichigo has come to his senses! But does Rukia still feel the same? Please look out for the next chapter! Let me know what you thought about this chapter in the reviews please :)


	7. The Person I Love

**"The Person I Love"**

"Does it hurt?" Ms. Miyako asked, wetting a towel and wiping away the dry blood near the edge of Mr. Kaien's busted lip. The entire time, she couldn't muster up the courage to even look him in the eye, not after what she saw. Her voice was still shaky and she tried so hard to not ask him why he was hugging Rukia.

"It doesn't hurt," Mr. Kaien replied. He felt awful, but he enjoyed seeing her so nervous around him. "Thank you." Ms. Miyako nodded quickly. "That kid must really love you." She faltered, feeling her chest tighten. "I'm jealous of you two-"

"You're cruel," Ms. Miyako whispered beneath her breath. She glared at him, "If you have something to say to me, say it to me directly instead of trying to rattle me up by using Ms. Kuchiki."

"I wasn't using her-"

"It was your intention to make me jealous, wasn't it?" Ms. Miyako asked, flustered. She was embarrassed to have shown that side of her. She just wanted to shut down and scream at him for being so childish. "I asked you to take me back and you say no. Then you try to stir me up with that stunt; just what do you want-"

Ms. Miyako's face was buried into Mr. Kaien's chest as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I don't want you with Ichigo. I want you here with me, where you belong.

She pushed him away, confused. "What's with the sudden change in mind?" she asked, turning away from him. "I was the heartless woman who left you years ago and now you want me back?"

Mr. Kaien grabbed her, turning her around to face him. Ms. Miyako was forced to look at him. He apologized for his behavior, "I've always wanted you back, but I've just been too prideful to admit it until now." He delved into his pocket, "When I came back to Japan from overseas, you told me you were leaving. The one question I always asked you was: why?"

Ms. Miyako cringed, remembering the bitter past. So many regrets were made. If there was a time machine, she'd go back and fix it all.

Mr. Kaien pulled out a black box, "But the only question I should've asked you was this." He kneeled down on one knee, opening the box and revealing a diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

**Rooftop**

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked, waving his hand in front of Rukia's violet eyes. She was still in her wide-eyed trance without budging a bit. "Come on, you aren't really going to leave me waiting after I just confessed, are you? That's torture!"

Finally a sign of life, Rukia stood up. "I..." Ichigo held his breath; his heart began pounding rapidly against his ribcage. She held her head down, hiding behind her long bangs. "I gotta go!" Without warning, she sprinted away like a startled rabbit.

"Wha- hold on!" But before Ichigo could catch her, she was gone. "Damn... so short, but so fast."

* * *

**Kurosaki Household**

"This is the sixth voice mail I'm giving you. If you don't pick up by the seventh, I swear to Buddha, I'll..." It was no use. Ichigo couldn't find the strength to even threaten Rukia. "Just... call me when you get this." He hung up and then buried his face into his pillow, letting out a long groan. When did liking someone make you feel so hopeless? It wasn't like this with Ms. Miyako. This feeling was actually _worse_.

Ichigo was getting all sweaty and anxious just because Rukia wouldn't pick up his phone calls. He was feeling empty inside and for some reason, he found himself wallowing. The only thing that occupied his mind was the thought of Rukia.

"When did I get this pathetic?" Ichigo asked himself. He looked at his trembling hands - it was a sickness. He was like a schoolgirl in love. "Yuzu!" he bellowed for his youngest sister.

Prancing in, Yuzu smiled, "What is it Ichi-nii?" she asked innocently.

"Shut the door," Ichigo ordered. They were going to talk about something so top secret. "Promise you won't tell this to anyone, dad especially?"

Yuzu contemplated for a moment. It was so hard to hide things from her father because she and him were usually the two people in the household to be eavesdropping and spying on Ichigo. She raised her right hand, "I cross my heart," she drew an X across her chest.

Ichigo whispered to Yuzu, "I think I have..." he looked around before deciding it was safe to say, "a disease."

Yuzu gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. She placed one hand over Ichigo's forehead, "But you feel fine to me Ichi-nii!" Her eyes began to water as she imagined Ichigo on his deathbed, unable to eat, speak, let alone think.

"It's not that. There's this girl..." Ichigo saw Yuzu's eyes got big with excitement. He began wondering whether it was a good idea to let her in on his thoughts. "Anyway... it's strange. I've never felt like this before. Everything about her I'm starting to notice - and by everything, I literally mean _everything_. The little things about her; it's all getting to me. I'm becoming conscious of her. I notice the smell of peaches in her hair, the way she walks on the tip of her toes, and this weird fuzzy look in her big eyes."

Yuzu sighed, smiling broadly. She clasped her hands together while scooting closer to Ichigo. "You're in love!" she diagnosed. She jumped onto Ichigo's bed so that she was at least reaching his chest. "This is wonderful," she grabbed his hands and jumped up and down, dancing in joy.

"No, I'm not. I was in love with someone else before, and I never had these wacky symptoms!"

Yuzu waved her finger back and forth like a pendulum. "Then that means what you had with that past girl wasn't love. Oh, this is so exciting! Ichi-nii is growing up so fast!" she spoke like a true mother.

"Wasn't love?" Ichigo echoed. No, it couldn't possibly be. He was absolutely sure that he at least felt something for Ms. Miyako back then. "Why am I even asking you?" He grabbed Yuzu by the collar, dragging her out of his bedroom. Her eyes were still twinkling with joy as she ran off. "Geez," Ichigo groaned, unsure what to do at this point.

"Oi, Ichigo," Karin slammed the door open, hitting Ichigo in the face. He winced, grabbing his bloody nose.

"What?" Ichigo asked, or more like shouted.

"Our cousin came to see you."

"Which one?"

"Kaien, duh," Karin said before leaving.

Ichigo grimaced, pulling up his shirt sleeves as he got ready for round 2. What did Kaien want in the middle of the night? Was he here to tell Ichigo that he was going to sue him for attacking him earlier? "What do you want?" Ichigo asked rudely when he saw Kaien hanging outside the Kurosaki Clinic. Just looking at Kaien bugged the hell out of him, especially when he kept having that goddamn image of Kaien _smooching _all over Rukia. Well, they didn't exactly smooch, but Ichigo tended to exaggerate things in his mind.

Kaien laughed, pleased to see that Ichigo was having the perfect night of his life. "Just dropped by to see if we could settle things like men this time. What made you so angry earlier?"

"Like you don't know."

Kaien shrugged, "I really don't." He stepped up to Ichigo, so close that he could feel Ichigo breathing on him like an angry bull. "Maybe you decided to punch me because I hurt Ms. Miyako, or maybe you did it because you just felt like it... or maybe you were jealous-"

"Was not," Ichigo denied blatantly. Ichigo loosened his hand when he realized that he was making an iron fist. "I simply did it because..." then it struck him. It finally dawned on Ichigo why he hit Kaien. It wasn't because he liked Rukia, "I did it because I was upset that Ms. Miyako broke up with me because she still had feelings for you," he answered proudly, even though it really wasn't something he should be proud of.

Kaien scoffed, shaking his head. "You're always in denial." He turned around, but stopped and turned around, "Then since you don't like Rukia, is it alright if I see her as a woman instead of a student-"

"You can go to hell before that happens, you sick pervert," Ichigo snarled, ready to pounce on Kaien again. He bit his tongue, realizing that he wasn't in control of his words when he was angry. "Who am I kidding?" He groaned, "I'm in love with Rukia, aren't I?"

Kaien nodded, "I realized it when you called me on Christmas Eve."

That's right. On Christmas Eve, Ichigo had called his cousin, the band leader, to ask if he would let Rukia play in his band at the Rush restaurant since Kaien wouldn't let her. When they agreed, Ichigo had called Kaien to lie to Rukia, telling her that he was finally letting her play in the band, although it was really Ichigo who set it up for her. It was _Ichigo's _Christmas gift to her, not Kaien's.

"I still don't get why you didn't just tell her it was you who allowed her to play in the band. She was so happy; I could barely look her in the eye when she thanked me," Kaien said.

"I couldn't tell her it was me, because she..." Ichigo gritted his teeth, not wanting to say it. "She likes you," he finally blurted. He felt sick just saying those poisonous words. Admitting that Rukia liked someone else other than himself made him want to punch a wall.

Kaien laughed, slapping his knee. "You clearly don't observe people much. She's practically in love with you."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, "Then why did she run away when I confessed?"

Kaien barked out laughing some more. He wiped away a tear, "Who wouldn't? I bet you were scowling at her while doing it too." Ichigo widened his eyes, wondering if he really was glaring at Rukia while confessing. "But seriously though. She likes you. Just ask her yourself," he assured. "Anyway, I just came by to see if you were doing alright."

"Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kaien shrugged, holding a smug grin. "You looked pissed as hell when I was cuddling with Rukia~" he teased, watching Ichigo turned as red as a strawberry. "Oh, and let your family know the good news."

"What good news?" Ichigo spat.

"I'm engaged."

Ichigo's eyes bulged and his jaws dropped to the ground, "Who in the world would marry you?" he asked. "It's not Rukia, is it?" Ichigo turned around, ready to head to the kitchen to grab the butcher knife-

"To Miyako."

Ichigo paused, hearing the familiar name. Just hours earlier, he was dating that woman. Just hours earlier, he thought he was in love with that woman. "I'm happy for you," Ichigo told. That's it. It was as easy as that.

Kaien frowned, "You're not mad?" he asked. "I thought you loved her too."

Ichigo pondered for a minute. Did he really love Ms. Miyako? "Guess I didn't." He shrugged, already over the fact that he'd been dumped. "I already have someone else on my mind."

* * *

**Next Day**

That morning, Rukia took a detour to Karakura High. She walked along the path and crossed the basketball court - the place where she had her first encounter with Ichigo. She laughed to herself, remembering how stunned she was when she discovered his true nature. She couldn't believe how naive she was-

"Sup wingman!"

Rukia turned to her side, seeing Ichigo hollering to her. "O-Oh, it's you," she stammered. Suddenly, she felt like running again. Before she could though, Ichigo had caught up to her. "Sorry about yesterday. I was just so busy and-"She jumped in surprise when she suddenly felt herself being tugged towards him. Her face turned bright as she was practically smothered into his chest, "Why is your arm around me, _Ichigo_?" she asked in a threatening voice, gritting her teeth as a bulging vein appeared on her forehead.

Plastered on Ichigo's face was a broad grin. Being so close to Rukia made him feel so blissful~ He inhaled the sweet scent of spring, sneezing as he remembered that he had allergies. Finally, he spoke. "Twelve," he simply said.

Rukia frowned, confused by what he was saying. "Twelve what?"

Ichigo threw Rukia an annoyed look, "Voicemails," he spoke in a ghostly fashion. "I left you twelve voicemails and you didn't respond."

"And?" Rukia asked. "It's not like I'm obliged to respond."

Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders, facing her. "Did you have amnesia or something?" he asked, pulling at her cheeks and inspecting to see if her eyes were unusually dilated. Rukia smacked him away, asking why he would assume something like that. "Because...!" Did he really have to say it again? "Because I said I like you yesterday-"

When Rukia realized what Ichigo meant, she laughed, now confusing Ichigo. "I get it," she said, "you said it in a moment of weakness because of your recent breakup with Ms. Miyako. We all say things we don't mean and..."

The rest of her words just sounded like water in his ears. Was she just kidding?

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, realizing that Ichigo had stopped walking with her. "Is something bothering you?"

"You don't get it; what I said yesterday was the _truth_. It wasn't a moment of weakness."

Rukia could tell that Ichigo was angry with her. "Yes... yes it was," she replied, hating the fact that it was. "From the beginning, it was obvious that you were infatuated with Ms. Miyako to the point that you threatened me to play cupid!"

Ichigo groaned, smacking himself in the face. "Why the hell are women so complicated? I like you, you like me, let's go out! How hard can that be?" At this point, they were practically screaming in each other's faces. They both huffed, turning away from each other. "See, we're already fighting like we're a couple. We might as well seal the deal."

"You're such a hopeless romantic," Rukia murmured, walking off without him.

"Didn't you fall in love with me, Rukia?" Ichigo asked. "So then why are you running away now?"

"And if I do say yes, then what? What happens if you find someone else who you'll love more? Then will I be like Ms. Miyako, just another girl who you thought you were in love with?"

Ichigo paused, feeling the tension in the air. "It won't happen," he promised.

"But it might." Rukia couldn't bear the thought of Ichigo being with someone else. It already happened before. How could she go through it again? "Let's forget this conversation ever happened."

"Then would you rather I leave you alone for good?"

Rukia's legs became paralyzed as he asked a question that she couldn't bring herself to answer. She turned around, expecting Ichigo to hold a grin and say that he was just kidding like usual, but the way he seemed to stare through her... "You're serious, aren't you?" He nodded. "We can't be friends?"

Ichigo shook his head. "There's no way we can just be friends."

A life without Ichigo... for some odd reason, Rukia couldn't imagine it, even though she lived that life just a few months ago. Through a series of events, from her admiring Ichigo to falling in love and changing her life, how did things end up like this? "Then I guess we're strangers again." Yes, just months ago when they were strangers, Rukia was a nobody who stood on top a rooftop, shouting to the world that she admired Ichigo.

Strangers again... Ichigo nodded. "But one question: why'd you admire me so much?" He wondered why he never asked her that question after all this time together.

Rukia scoffed, shrugging. "Just liked the way you lived life so carefree, not minding what others thought about you and such."

"Am I still that kind of person?"

Ichigo glared at Rukia when she began laughing. "Not even. You get angry over the littlest remarks I make about you." She sighed, stretching her arms and looking up at the sky. "Maybe that was the Ichigo I fell in love with, the one I created in my head," she said, tapping her temple with her finger.

Huh. Ichigo never thought he could get jealous over a person who was created out of he himself. He glanced over, seeing a basketball rolling across the grass. He bent down, picking it up, "Someone must've left this here."

Rukia looked over, "You're really thinking about playing a game right now?" she asked when she saw Ichigo bending his knees, ready to shoot for the net. "You're going to be late for school."

Ichigo looked over his shoulder, "What's it to ya, stranger?"

"Ah, I knew you'd hold a grudge against me. Oh well," she sighed, walking off.

Ichigo grasped the ball in his hand, dribbling it and twirling it around his finger. Firmly, he lined his foot towards the net. "He shoots, and he..." Ichigo felt the ball leave his hands. "Damn, not even close," he deadpanned, seeing the ball bounce away.

It was at that exact moment that Rukia's words of encouragement echoed in Ichigo's memories. _"You see, Ichigo... When you don't make the score, don't get discouraged. You just gotta try again. No matter how bad things seem, you just gotta keep trying."_

Ichigo smirked, picking up the ball again. He was going to keep trying.

* * *

"What happened to scandalous? What happened to raw and spicy?" Yoruichi asked, slamming her fist onto her table, literally breaking the thing in half.

Rukia pushed herself back in her seat, fearing that she'd be eaten by the woman. "I-I don't want to make up excuses, but... Karakura High is really normal. Nothing goes on around here. If the principal was running a black market underground the school, I'd write about it, but-"

"That's a great story!" Yoruichi pointed her finger at Rukia, nearly jabbing it into her eyeball. "Write it."

Rukia frowned, "What happened to journalism being about the truth?"

"Screw that. We're in desperate times now!"

Rukia sighed, missing music class so dearly. She missed being able to touch the guitar while at school and being able to learn about Beethoven! Now she was just writing lies and possibly getting the principal fired. Her eyes narrowed. It was all Ichigo's fault. Ever since he came along, all she has been doing is lying. "That no good devil," she hissed.

"Kuchiki!"

Rukia turned around, seeing Yoruichi's huge busts in her face. "What is it?"

Yoruichi pointed outside the school building, "Do you see that?" Of course, how could Rukia not? A large crowd, and by large, it was practically the whole school, gathered in outside in the yard. "It smells fishy! I think it's a fight - probably some yakuza on campus. Go investigate!" She pushed Rukia towards the exit.

Yes, no teacher was more lively than Yoruichi. Pushing her way through the crowd, Rukia held out her large camera to take some photos of the rumored yakuza on campus or whatever it was. However, as Rukia got closer, people began to look at her strangely. Students whispered amongst each other while pointing at her.

Rukia fixed her hair and checked to see that she didn't have rice on her shirt or something. Why was everyone staring, she wondered? Eventually, she had made it to the center of the crowd. "What's the matter?" she asked as her peers stayed five feet away from her.

They all stayed real quiet. Too quiet.

"Rukia Kuchiki!" shouted a voice from above. "I admire you!"

Frozen solid, Rukia's jaw fell six feet into the ground as she saw a certain orange head standing at the top of the same roof she'd hang out at. "What are you doing Ichigo!?" she asked, earning more eyes. "Get down!" she shouted like a worried mother as he stood on top the rails, living life by the edge. She was going to have a heart attack.

"I..." Ichigo grabbed his dress shirt, tearing it open and ripping off the buttons, revealing a plain white shirt beneath with a huge red heart. "I like you! Be my girlfriend!" He smiled broadly, extremely proud of himself. That's it. She was dead. And so was he. How embarrassing and humiliating! Her cheeks stained red as she felt hot to the face.

Rukia pulled up her sleeves and grinded her teeth, ready to tear him apart with her fangs. "I'm so going to-"

"Kuchiki-san, you know Kurosaki? The no good delinquent of Karakura?" asked one of her female friends. They giggled, blushing at the same time. "What is he, your stalker?"

Rukia hung her head low, hoping to just disappear off the face of the earth. Could he not be discrete about this!? "What are you trying to prove?" Rukia asked, desperate to get Ichigo off the roof as he would slip off any second. There was no way she was going to write a journal entry about a hopeless romantic falling off the roof and cracking his skull.

Ichigo panted, trying to catch his breath. He cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting back, "That I'm still the same person you admire..." He jumped onto a nearby tree, grabbing onto the branches and swinging himself onto the ground, landing with ease. Rukia couldn't look him in the eye as he approached her. Ichigo grabbed her by the hand, "And I'm still the same person you fell in love with."

Rukia's eyes grew wide. "Ichi-"

No more words were spoken; he pulled her towards him, kissing her softly on the lips. Ichigo broke away and leaned in, whispering into Rukia's ear, "So are you going to say yes? Or are you going to be the devil and break my heart?"

"Ooh! Kuchiki has a stalker," chanted the student group. The girls fawned, awed at how sweet and sappy Ichigo's confession was. Of course, their image of him as a delinquent was immediately turned into a knight in shining armor.

Rukia pulled away, flustered as she had forgotten they were in public. Ichigo's lips curved into a devilish smirk. He grabbed Rukia, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He didn't care what people thought about him, because that was why Rukia admired him from the beginning. "That's right," Ichigo explained, "I'm her number one stalker."

"Hey Ichigo," Rukia mumbled, and surprisingly through all the cheering that the class was making, Ichigo heard her voice. He raised his brows and she nodded, "I don't feel like being a devil today."

Ichigo gave a half grin and looked up at the sky. "I'm glad."

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Last chapter will be posted soon. Yes, it's already the end! I know it seemed abrupt; I always sucked at writing endings. The next chapter will be more of an epilogue, so yeah. We've reached the end, my friends! *Tears.


	8. Good Ending

**"Good Ending"**

Almost a year has passed since their first true meeting. In the beginning, there was nothing but bickering, blackmailing, and name calling between them. What began as a deal developed into friendship, and ended with love.

"A-Are you sure it's alright for me to be here? It feels... weird," Rukia murmured over to Ichigo, who sat idly beside her. She pulled her hair behind her ears and tapped her heels together in nervousness. "I should go-" She immediately shut up when she felt his hand wrap around hers, giving her assurance.

Ichigo tilted his head towards her, "Yes, Kaien and Miyako insisted. Besides, you're practically part of the family now," he scoffed, only deserving a kick to the ankle from Rukia. He glanced down at what she was wearing: a knee high, peach-colored dress that went well with her innocent appearance. "Did I tell you you look prettier today?" he whispered, hoping to not make too much noise.

Rukia glared at him; she hated it when he was being weirdly nice. She preferred it when they were arguing and teasing each other. "Oh, here she comes," Rukia said, piping down.

The guests turned their heads around, watching intently as the bride made her way towards the groom. Today was the day that Kaien and Miyako would marry. Miyako held her head high with a sweet smile. Dressed in a white v-neck dress, she looked more beautiful than anyone else Rukia had ever seen.

The wedding took place outdoors under a willow tree by a lake. There was a calm breeze in the air accompanied by the sun's radiant light. It was a perfect day.

Kaien smiled over to Miyako, who looked away shyly. When she reached the altar, she turned to the guests, "Before we start the vows, I'd like to play a song on the piano..." She made her way to a white grand piano that was rolled out beforehand. Everyone's attention drew to her as she took a seat. "About a year ago, I told a friend of mine," she glanced over at Rukia, who turned red, "that I wanted this song to be played at my wedding."

Reading the notes, her hands pressed gently at the black and white keys. The sweet melodies of Canon in D filled the air.

Rukia smiled. It was hard to believe that just a year ago, she, along with Kaien, Miyako, and Ichigo were trapped in a strange and difficult love story. And now, all of them were finally with the person they belonged with. She turned to Ichigo, who listened attentively to the music. "I'm glad to be here with you," she whispered ever so quietly.

Ichigo entwined his fingers with hers, "Me too," he replied. Not too long ago, he always yearned to hear Miyako play Canon in D for him. Now, he was happy to see her happy with his cousin Kaien, because now Ichigo was caught up in someone else.

* * *

Music played in the background as everyone danced and ate cake. Ichigo and Rukia walked beside the lake, feeding the ducks as they enjoyed each others company. "You know, despite everything we went through to get here, I wouldn't change a thing," said Ichigo. He let out a long sigh, loosening his tie that he claimed was choking him.

Rukia nodded, agreeing with him. "I'm really glad Ms. Miyako and Mr. Kaien had a good ending. Hopefully we have one too," she said sheepishly, earning a tug on her ear. "Itai!" she winced, whacking Ichigo.

"What do you mean, 'hopefully?' Of course we will if you stop being so pessimistic." Ichigo scowled.

Rukia glared, but then burst out laughing to herself.

"What?" Ichigo asked, annoyed with how weird she was being.

"We haven't changed one bit. In the end, we're still bickering like idiots."

Ichigo blinked dumbly, shrugging. "I kinda prefer it like this. It keeps things entertaining, don't you think?"

"Of course. I look forward to the day when we'll be old and whacking each other with our canes," Rukia snickered, imagining what a life it would be.

Ichigo scoffed. A future like that... He looked forward to it. He outstretched his arms, yawning. "All this lovey dovey music is making me tired," he groaned, pulling out his iPod. "I keep forgetting to get me new earphones," he sulked.

Rukia suddenly remembered something. She reached into her bag, pulling out brand new earphones. "I forgot to give you this; it's so long overdue."

Ichigo frowned, wondering why she was carrying such a thing when she never even listened to music.

"Oh," Rukia blushed in embarrassment. "My very late Christmas gift that I was supposed to give to you last time. I never had the chance to give you it."

Ichigo stared at his gift for a while before thanking Rukia. He plugged it into his iPod, put on the earphones, and pressed the play button. Music flowed into his ears and he sighed, remembering the days when he had the iPod on play 24/7.

Rukia grinned, glad to see that Ichigo was satisfied with it. "Did you know, when I was your 'stalker,' I always wondered what kind of music you listened to?"

Ichigo smirked, recalling the days of her being the stalker and he the devil. It was such fun teasing her and trying to make Ms. Miyako fall in love with him.

Rukia jumped in surprise when she felt Ichigo putting one earphone in her ear while the other earphone remained in his ear. "What are you doing?" she asked, a little confused.

Ichigo pulled her close to him, "You wondered what kind of music I listened to, right? Now you can listen with me."

Rukia's frown eased. They both remained quiet, just listening to the music. It was then that Rukia realized that the music that was playing was a sound similar to her guitar music. "You listen to the songs I play...?"

Ichigo closed his eyes, just paying attention to the sounds. He looked content, not scowling like usual. He listened to Rukia's playings, because he loves her. Rukia decided to stop stalking and remained silent, just enjoying the moment with the person she always admired and loved.

* * *

**A/N: **Tada! The end :)

This was very short, I know, but I never intended for it to be long. It's a good ending for everyone :')

I really hope you ladies/gentlemen enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks so much for all your support, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to get this far.

Please look out for my other stories and continue supporting me! - WoHoYo


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